SALEM: Sugarcane farmers in Namakkal district are pressing for a special incentive for the current season to ensure the assured price per tonne of sugarcane.
Farmers staged a protest in front of the Mohanur Cooperative Sugar Mill on Saturday, demanding the Tamil Nadu government to issue a Government Order (GO) to release this incentive.
The protest was announced and led by R Velusamy, president of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam founded by Uzhavar Perunthalaivar Narayanasamy Naidu. Addressing the farmers, he said the State government must immediately announce the incentive to raise the minimum price of sugarcane to Rs 4,000 per tonne.
The Centre has fixed the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) at Rs 3,290.50 per tonne for sugar mills with a recovery rate below 9.5 per cent.
Farmers said this FRP amount has been credited to their bank accounts.
The crushing season at the Mohanur Cooperative Sugar Mill began on November 15 and has since concluded.
"Even before the crushing season began, the mill announced and assured farmers, including through newspaper advertisements, that a minimum support price of Rs 4,000 per tonne would be provided. However, only Rs 3,290.50 has now been credited to our bank accounts," Velusamy said.
Mill Managing Director R Kuppusamy said the mill recorded a recovery rate of 7.2 per cent this season, compared to 6.8 per cent last year, and added that about 65,000 tonnes of sugarcane were crushed. Responding to the farmers' demands, he said, "Last year, payments to farmers took several months. This time, the amount was credited within days."
On the demand for a minimum price of Rs 4,000, he said mills could not act independently? "As far as the farmers' demand is concerned, the mill can process it only after the State government announces the incentive and issues the GO," he said.
Leaders including K Balasubramaniam, general secretary of the Vivasaya Munnetra Kazhagam, and M Thangaraj, president of the Tamil Nadu Natural Farmers' Association, along with members of other farmers' organisations, extended their support to the protest.