The Bharathiya Kisan Sangam has threatened to stage a protest demonstration in Srirangam if the sugar mills did not heed the counsel of the former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and present Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam to grant Rs. 2,650 per tonne for the cane purchased by them.
To stress their demands, volunteers of the organisation staged a sit in protest for more than three hours at the collectorate here before presenting their memorandum to the district administration.
Speaking to “The Hindu” here on Tuesday after presenting a memorandum to the State government through the district administration, BKS State vice-president P. Ayyakkannu alleged that the sugar lobby in the State was flouting all norms and promises that the mills had given to regimes headed by Ms. Jayalalithaa and Mr. Panneerselvam.
The leaders had advised the sugar mills to consider the plight of the cane growers and oblige their genuine request.
But the mills had paid scant regard to their counsel and had pending arrears due to the farmers.
Mr. Ayyakkannu called upon the Central and State governments to grant Rs. 4,000 per tonne for sugarcane purchased by the sugar mills, up from the present Fair and Remunerative Price of Rs. 2,650.
The association also demanded that rivers be linked to Cauvery for ensuring continued water supply for irrigation.
In the memorandum, the association demanded immediate efforts be taken to link all rivers with Cauvery, waive all loans and credit availed by the farmers till they got a remunerative price for their produce, grant Rs. 2,500 per quintal for paddy, link Nethravati in Karnataka to Cauvery, prevent construction of reservoirs at Mekedatu and drop the methane extraction project in the delta districts.
Apart from Mr. Ayyakkannu, the association’s Sugar Cane Growers Wing president Karaipakkam Govindaraj, Thanjavur District president S. Murugan and others participated.
