Farmers in Dindigul district staged a walkout from a farmers’ grievance redress meeting at the Dindigul Collectorate on September 18, 2026, demanding that the Tamil Nadu government completely waive crop loans. The meeting was chaired by District Collector Durgamoorthi, but a section of farmers left shortly after proceedings began to press their demands.
The farmers said the continuing drought-like conditions in Dindigul had severely affected cultivation and household finances, making it difficult for many of them to repay agricultural loans. They also repeated their demand that Dindigul be officially declared a drought-hit district, arguing that water scarcity and crop losses had placed farmers under significant financial pressure.
Another major concern was the condition of coconut plantations, which farmers said had been badly affected by prolonged dry weather. They requested that officials conduct a proper field survey, assess losses and provide suitable compensation to affected growers.
Water availability was a central issue during the meeting. Farmers urged authorities to explore bringing Cauvery water to the district, while officials said a proposal was under consideration to supply water to around 60 irrigation tanks. The Collector said ensuring adequate drinking water for the public remained a priority for the district administration.
Farmers also complained that wild animals were entering agricultural lands in search of water because natural water sources had dried up. They asked for waterbodies to be desilted so they could store more rainwater and provide better support for both agriculture and local ecosystems.
Other demands included the removal of encroachments from lakes and tanks and strict action against unauthorised soil extraction from waterbodies. The Collector said action would be taken against illegal extraction and noted that the removal of seemai karuvelam (Prosopis juliflora) was already being carried out across blocks in the district.
The September protest followed earlier demands from Dindigul farmers for crop-loan relief. In May, farmers had already argued that waiver calculations should better support small and marginal farmers, while protests in June also called for cooperative crop loans to be waived.
Overall, the walkout reflected growing concern over drought, falling water availability, crop losses and farm debt in Dindigul. Farmers said they want a combination of complete crop-loan relief, drought recognition, compensation for damaged crops and stronger water-management measures to help agricultural families recover.