DHARMAPURI: Farmers are growing increasingly concerned about declining sugarcane yield and the slowing operations of the Dharmapuri District Cooperative Sugarmill Ltd in Palacode.
Nearly a decade ago, the cooperative sugar mill in Palacode boasted a sugarcane cultivation area of more than 15,000 acres, with mills grinding about 3.5 to 4 lakh tonnes of sugarcane. Now, with the mill said to commence operations on Friday, only 2,200 acres of sugarcane cultivation area have been registered, and the mill has received only 52,000 tonnes of sugarcane for grinding. Farmers are worried and fear that the mill could shut down permanently, owing to poor yields.
Speaking to TNIE, P Ganeshan from Palacode said, "Two years ago, the mill had ground one lakh tonnes of sugarcane. However, last year, the mill barely operated for 14 days, following which operations were stopped. A key reason for the failure of mills is the lack of cultivation area. There is no profit from cultivating sugarcane."
"Dharmapuri farmers are small-scale cultivators, and investing their land in sugarcane is not profitable, especially when it takes about 11 months to reap a profit. To ensure a successful harvest, farmers spend money on fertilisers, labour and irrigation, which comes to about Rs 20,000 per acre. Therefore, they move to cheaper crops with shorter growth periods, which is why the mill is failing. Without sugarcane, how can the mill be successful?" he added.
Another sugarcane farmer, B Nandhakumar from Palacode, said, "Poor pricing is also a factor in declining cultivation area. We have been requesting Rs 4,000 per tonne of sugarcane. The state government has also promised this amount, but there is still little incentive to pursue sugarcane cultivation. We have no special schemes or subsidies. For the past few years, we have been requesting the mill to take up at least a portion of the labour cost, but it has not happened."
S Manigandan, a farmer from Karimangalam, said, "Lack of water in Palacode and Karimangalam is also a major setback. Until four years ago, I too cultivated sugarcane, but every summer, I had to spend at least Rs 4,000 each month for irrigation. There has been no water management scheme till today to tackle water shortage. Further, a delay in opening the mill for grinding is also a reason why farmers do not cultivate sugarcane. Many canes have already started flowering and losing weight, hitting profits."
When TNIE reached out, Cane Development Officer, K Kathiravan, said, "We have been taking steps to improve cultivation area under the District Cooperative Sugar Mill, but lack of water is preventing people from planting sugarcane. This year, both the southwest and northeast monsoon have not provided us with significant rainfall. We are working on various initiatives to improve cultivation in the upcoming year."