If Maharashtra can waive farm loans fully, why can’t Tamil Nadu?, asks Anbumani

CHENNAI

PMK president Anbumani on Wednesday questioned Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay as to why he has announced a farm loan waiver of just ₹2,044 crore when the Maharashtra government has waived crop loans to the tune of ₹36,585 crore taken by 5.572 million farmers. Mr. Vijay and the State government should not blame National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) rules for not fully waiving farmers’ crop loans as the rules do not state crop loan waiver cannot be given.

In a statement, Dr. Anbumani said the decision taken by the Maharashtra State Cabinet regarding farm loan waiver was “historic” and the benefits received by the farmers there could not be compared to those received by the farmers in Tamil Nadu.

“In Tamil Nadu, only farmers owning up to 2.5 acres of land are eligible for a maximum waiver of ₹50,000. Small farmers with up to 5 acres receive between ₹5,000 and ₹25,000, while large farmers get only ₹5,000 in loan waived. In contrast, in Maharashtra, without any distinction between small, marginal, or large farmers, they will receive a waiver of up to ₹2 lakh of crop loans. Accordingly, if a farmer has taken a loan of ₹2 lakh, it is fully waived; if ₹3 lakh was borrowed, only ₹1 lakh needs to be repaid— and even for that, sufficient time is provided,” he said.

“In Tamil Nadu, only a portion of loans taken during the 10-month period from May 1 of last year to February of the current year is waived. But in Maharashtra, loans taken over a six-year period — from April 2019 to March 2025 —are eligible for waiver up to ₹2 lakh. This enables even farmers trapped in inescapable debt cycles to be fully relieved.”

He said only a few thousand farmers may receive full loan waivers though the Tamil Nadu government claims 1.422 million people will benefit from its loan waiver scheme.

Dr. Anbumani said while Mr. Vijay had promised a full waiver of loans for farmers owning up to 5 acres and a 50% waiver for those owning more in his manifesto for the 2026 Assembly elections, his government has imposed strict conditions and limited waivers to just ₹5,000 to ₹50,000.