TIRUCHY: Tapioca farmers in Tiruchy district have expressed concerns over mounting losses following a sharp fall in market prices. Growers from Thuraiyur and Uppiliyapuram blocks said they are now forced to sell a 75-kg bag of tapioca for just Rs 200, compared to last year’s Rs 850.
Tapioca is predominantly cultivated in the Pachamalai hills, with Thuraiyur and Uppiliyapuram blocks being the major growing regions. Tapioca is predominantly cultivated in the Pachamalai hills, with Thuraiyur and Uppiliyapuram blocks being the major growing regions.
Tiruchy district has a horticultural crop area of 69,200 acres, with banana accounting for the largest share at 15,230 acres, followed by coconut on 12,500 acres and tapioca on 11,100 acres. N Chinnadurai, a farmer from Pachamalai said cultivators are in distress as they were unable to earn even 20% of the last year’s revenue.
“We sold a bag for Rs 850 last year, but now we are not even getting Rs 200. Most of our produce goes for sago production in Salem and Attur. This year, the price has drastically fallen, leaving us helpless. We don’t know the reason behind the decline, but the government should fix a minimum support price so that farmers can secure a reasonable return,” he said.
Farmers have urged the state government to waive the crop loans they borrowed for tapioca cultivation. P Palanimuthu, a farmer from Ramanathapuram village said he borrowed Rs 80,000 from the cooperative society to cultivate tapioca on three acres. “We spent around `30,000 per acre, but I managed to recover only Rs 30,000 from all three acres put together.
When the harvest began in June, we sold a bag for Rs 400, but now the price has fallen even further. The only way to help the farmers is through waiver of crop loans. Otherwise our situation will only worsen,” he added. Meanwhile, sago factory owners attributed the price fall to oversupply. S Siddarth, proprietor of Jeyavel Sago Factory in Attur said,
“Last year, the price per bag even went up to Rs 1,000. Expecting higher demand and better profits, a large number of farmers cultivated tapioca, which led to a drop in prices. Moreover, the decline is not as steep as farmers claim. We are offering up to Rs 400 per bag. It may be due to transportation costs and middlemen that farmers ultimately receive only around Rs 200 per bag.