Cabinet to consider farmers' relief package today: Pawar

New Delhi, Sep 29 (UNI) The Centre is likely to announce a relief package today for distressed farmers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka.

Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said a proposal from his Ministry would come up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs meeting later today.

''The proposal from us is absolutely ready,'' Mr Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of an international conference on agricultural biotechnology here this morning.

According to official sources, the package will include an interest waver on loans, loan rescheduling and interest subsidy.

Banks, state governments and financial institutions will be part of the government strategy to help farmers hit hard by crop failure.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had given enough hints about a relief package for farmers in the four states in the face of a spate of suicides, especially in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Mr Pawar's backyard.

On the opposition to special economic zones (SEZs), Mr Pawar said negotiations with farmers could be the way out because if anybody was going to take agricultural land, there should be proper compensation.

''I don't think the farmers will be benefited under the present circumstances,'' he said while adding his Ministry had communicated its sentiments to the Commerce Ministry.

''We have also sent a communication to the chief ministers,'' he said.

Mr Pawar, however, stressed that he was not against the idea of SEZs, provided that interests of the farmers were taken care of.

According to him, when he was Maharashtra chief minister, agricultural land acquired by the state government under the Land Acquisition Act involved compensation as well as return of 12.5 per cent fully developed land back to farmers for setting up their own ventures.

''There was no opposition from the farmers then,'' he said though indicating that he was personally against taking away fertile land from farmers.

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