DHARMAPURI: Residents of Nallampalli have urged the Dharmapuri administration and the agriculture marketing department to take steps to set up an uzhavar sandhai near the taluk headquarters. The demand came after farmers reported losses due to the increasing transportation costs.
Nallampalli taluk was formed in 2026 and remains as the administrative headquarters for over 31 panchayats. The taluk is rich in agriculture with a net sown area of 20,500 hectares, and people are primarily dependent on agriculture or related work. With the increase in transportation costs, farmers are now requesting the administration to set up a marketplace in Nallampalli.
K Vijayakumar from Nallampalli said, "The 31 village panchayats around Nallampalli comprise primarily agricultural lands and crops produced are presently sold at Dharmapuri markets. The key reason we have to go to Dharmapuri is the lack of a market in Nallampalli. While weekly markets are functioning outside the taluk office every Tuesday, the infrastructure is severely lacking, and people mostly set up stalls along the roads."
Another resident, M Veeramani from Nallampalli, said, "In most cases, when a farmer hires a truck to transport his produce to the market, he charges for half a day. This sums up to Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 per day, which claims a big chunk of the farmer’s profit. If a uzhavar sandhai is established at Nallampalli and is made functional on a daily basis, traders and other buyers would make use of the facility. This would also reduce transportation costs and the expense greatly. Moreover, Nallampalli has all the necessary infrastructure right next to the bus stand. It only needs to be developed. We hope the agriculture marketing department would take steps to set up an uzhavar sandhai here, as it would provide fair prices to farmers."
When the TNIE reached out to officials in the agriculture marketing department, they said, "It is not feasible as there is a uzhavar sandhai just 6 km from Nallampalli at Jettihalli. We have already explored the area for a uzhavar sandhai, and it is not feasible."