Irked by the inordinate delay in disbursing ₹21.70 crore arrears to be paid to the farmers by a sugar factory in the district for the sugarcane procured from them, the district administration has sought clarification from the Tamil Nadu Government on the action to be taken against the erring company.
As the Vasudevanallur-based Dharani Sugars had to reportedly pay ₹ 21.70 crore towards the sugarcane the company had procured from the farmers during the year 2018 – 2019, the growers were raising this issue at several farmers’ grievance day meetings.
Since the arrears, which should have been settled by October 30 last, was yet to be paid, the farmers raised the issue again at the grievance day meeting held remotely on Friday.
Collector G. S. Sameeran informed the aggrieved farmers that the district administration had written letters in this connection to the Secretaries for Industries and Agriculture seeking clarification and guidance on the action to be taken to ensure the early disbursal of the arrears to the sugarcane suppliers. A letter has also been sent to the management of Dharani Sugars.
“Based on the guidance to be received from the government, appropriate action will be taken shortly,” Dr. Sameeran said.
The Collector informed that the district, despite the recent downpour, had received only deficit rainfall during this year, as Tenkasi had recorded only 671 mm rainfall against the average rainfall of 738 mm till mid-November. Thanks to the recent rains, the district’s dams had 80% water while 84 irrigation tanks had water sufficient for a month-long irrigation.
‘Pisanam’ paddy cultivation had been taken-up on 5,044 hectares and cereals on 9,887 hectares, grams on 3,449 hectares, cotton on 843 hectare, sugarcane on 1612 hectares and oilseeds on 1,232 hectares have been cultivated.
While chemical nutrients had been stocked adequately in the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies to meet the demand during this season, quality of agro inputs was being checked through random inspection. Of the 296 samples analysed, 16 were found to be of inferior quality and hence due action against the sellers would follow.
Farmers who were yet to get insurance benefits between 2016 and 2018 would get the same before November-end, Dr. Sameeran informed while urging the farmers to insure their crops.
Even as the farmers of Sivasailam in Kadayam union appealed to the Collector to lay roads to easily transport the farm produce from their ranches to nearby markets, a few others, who have to take their produce to Paavoorchathram for selling it to traders, wanted to have a market with cold storage facility at Kadayam itself.
The farmers’ decades-old demand for checking wild animal invasion into farms close to the Western Ghats, especially by wild boars, once again came up in the meeting, but in vain as the forest personnel had no reply for this question.
