DHARMAPURI: Farmers in Dharmapuri have once again appealed to the state government to start tapioca procurement and announce the minimum support price (MSP). The current market price is Rs 3,500-4,000 per quintal, which farmers is very low.
Tapioca is cultivated in Dharmapuri district on 7,000 hectares of land. A farmer gets around six tonnes per acre. With harvesting season set to begin later this month, farmers have appealed to the government to start direct procurement.
Speaking to TNIE, S Raja, a farmer from Dharmapuri said, “Over the past few years the production of tapioca was severely hit by the erratic climatic conditions and the attack of the mealybug pest. This year the situation has improved. By early November, the harvesting will begin and we urge the Tamil Nadu government to procure the tapioca directly from farmers with MSP.”
Another farmer from Morappur, K Chinnapaiyan said, “At present a quintal of tapioca is sold at around Rs 3,500 -4,000. This price is extremely unfavourable for farmers. This is mostly because of middle men in the market, as only private sago industries procure tapioca, they decide the price and this leads to farmers facing losses.To successfully cultivate one acre, farmers invest over Rs 12,000, so this price is unfair.”
President of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, SA Chinnasamy said, “We have been requesting the government to announce Rs 10,000 per tonne as minimum support price for tapioca. But so far there has been no response.”
Horticulture department officials, who commented on the matter, said, “This year due to the sufficient rainfall and favourable climatic conditions, the mealy bug infestation is minimal. So production is good. We cannot comment on the pricing.”