Textiles Minister Shivanand Patil has waded into a controversy by saying that farmers keep wishing for repeated droughts as they can avail loan waiver benefits. The statement drew strong reaction from farmers organisations and Opposition parties.
He was speaking at the foundation day celebrations of the Suttatti Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society near Chikkodi in Belagavi district.
He said at the convention, “The waters of the Krishna are freely available for irrigation and power supply for irrigation pumpsets is free too. Due to drought, the Chief Minister has distributed seeds and fertilisers free of cost. Now farmers wish for repeated droughts so that they can get their loans waived. But that is not right. We should not think in that manner. Because climatic conditions are such that even if you do not wish for it, there will be a drought once every three to four years and the government helps farmers during a crisis,” he said.
He further said that loan waivers have been offered by successive Chief Ministers like Siddharamaiah, H.D. Kumaraswamy and B.S. Yediyurappa.
“This year, due to the drought, Mr. Siddharamaiah has offered to waive off interest for medium term loans. But we should understand that the government can help farmers only during a crisis not at all times. No government can be of any help, in fact. If we all understand this and develop a vision for the future, it will be good for everyone,” he said.
“Times will change and new technologies and markets will help farmers,” he said, adding, “For example, none had thought that ethanol can be manufactured from sugarcane. But now, it has opened up many possibilities and new markets and is helping farmers get better prices,” the Minister said.
On food prices
Mr. Patil said that the Union government had kept most food prices under check as it did not want food inflation to rise before Lok Sabha polls. “If prices of onion, sugar, copra and other commodities are not rising it is because they are all being controlled by the Union government. This is hurting farmers, as they are unable to get remunerative prices,’‘ the minister said.
“Sugar is selling for ₹37-38 per kilogram. But in neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is selling for ₹60. Once the Lok Sabha polls are over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will loosen the strings and sugar will hit ₹60 per kg,’‘ Mr. Patil claimed.
The comments of the Minister on drought drew sharp reaction from farmers’ leaders.
‘Insult to farming community’
Sidagouda Modagi, Krishik Samaj leader, said that the minister’s statements had hurt and insulted the farming community.
“Mr. Patil seems to have forgotten that he is a farmer first and then a politician and minister. What he is saying is the prejudice carried by most of the urban elite who think that farmers are living on the government largesse funded at the taxpayer’s expense. Mr. Patil, coming from a farm family in rural north Karnataka should not speak like this and add to the prejudice of the rich city dwellers. The truth is that farmers are fighting so many visible enemies like middlemen and loan sharks and invisible enemies like climate change and erratic monsoons,’‘ he said.
“Even if we are sympathetic to the minister and think that he is asking farmers to be self-reliant and not depend on loan waivers or freebies, he has to choose his words carefully. He should be cautious of the fact that he is speaking in public,” Mr. Modagi said.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok took to social media to attack the Minister for his remarks that “insult the farming community.” He has said that it adds to the woes of farmers who are already reeling under drought. Another senior BJP leader C.T. Ravi too attacked the government for the Minister’s remarks.
