CHENNAI: Procurement of sugarcane, its transportation and distributing Pongal gifts is the responsibility of district collectors, said the state government. Minister for Cooperation K R Periyakaruppan, Food and Civil Supplies minister R Sakkarapani and top officials held a meeting with the district collectors on Friday to discuss the arrangements for procuring sugarcanes for Pongal gift hamper.
As many as 2.19 crore rice card holders will be given 1 kg raw rice, 1 kg sugar, 1 sugarcane and Rs 1000 in cash ahead of Pongal. The distribution will strat on January 9. The state government allotted Rs 78.36 crore for procuring sugarcanes, fixing the procurement price at Rs 33 per piece.
The government had also said sugarcane farmers should not be paid less than what was paid last year, and the payment should be credited through ECS to their bank accounts. To ensure the quality of the sugarcanes, second-level officials in the rank of deputy collectors, deputy directors of agriculture and deputy registrars should inspect at least 10% of procured canes and send written reports to the respective collectors within three days.
Meanwhile, the farmers have urged the government to implement its decision to purchase sugarcane directly from them without the intervention of brokers. State General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association, D Raveendran, said farmers should be given a minimum of `25 per cane, excluding loading, cutting and transportation charges.
“Farmers spent Rs 1.5 lakh per acre for cultivating sugarcanes for 12 to 13 months. The expenses do not include the land rent and wages for their work during the period. Only if we get Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh, we will be able to repay our debts and meet our family expenses,” he said. As per agriculture department data, canes cultivated on nearly 1,100 acres are to be procured for the Pongal gift.
Last year, majority of farmers sold their canes to brokers at a throwaway price due to political interference, said farmers from Ariyalur district. Last year the sugarcanes were procured by the cooperation department.