Expressing their sentiments against the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane, sugarcane farmers from the district staged a protest near the District Collectorate premises here on Monday. Stating that the SAP had been fixed at Rs. 450 more per tonne for 2014-2015 above the sugarcane support price of Rs. 2,200 fixed by the Centre, the farmers said that the SAP had declined by Rs. 100 every year for the last three years.
“The prices are not protecting the interests of the farmers who are already struggling under present conditions and will only benefit the sugar manufacturers. We have been appealing to the government to fix SAP after consultation with farmers through a triangular committee but of no avail,” they said.
“There are arrears of more than Rs. 378 crore which need to be paid to the farmers by the sugar mills and we have been appealing to the government to settle it,” said K. Kathiresan, a sugarcane farmer.
P. Shanmugham, General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha Tamil Nadu said farmers affected by indiscriminate granite quarrying should be adequately compensated for their losses.
“Many farmers were forced to sell their farmlands to quarry operators and their lands should be returned. The government should also help restore channels and water bodies that were destroyed, which have affected cultivation activities of the farmers,” he said.
Further speaking about the Land Acquisition Act, Mr. Shanmugam urged the State government not to implement it and said that the Centre should repeal the act to protect the interests of farmers across the country.
