Cane farmers staged a protest at the Collectorate here on Friday seeking ₹10 crore dues pending from Dharani Sugars that had procured sugarcane from Virudhunagar farmers.
Several farmers came without their shirts to the farmers’ grievancex rederess s meeting and made their representation.
“The mill has not paid us the money due to us for the last two years. Now, the mill has been closed,” Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam district president, N. A. Ramachandra Raja said. Collector J. Meghanath Reddy promised to initiate action to fetch the dues of the farmers.
Meanwhile, the farmers said that cane had been raised on around 10,000 acres in Virudhunagar district and sought the district administration to take action for diversion of the standing crop to some other sugar factory. “We have requested the Collector to divert the crop to any sugar mill that could make immediate payment us,” Mr. Ramachandra Raja said.
Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam district president A. Vijayamurugan wondered why the copra procurement centre had been set up in Sattur when there was no coconut farm in the entire taluk. He wanted the centre to be shifted to Watrap where a lot of coconut farms were located.
When the officials complained that they could not afford rent for the centre, Mr. Vijayamurugan raised the issue of farmers being forced to pay for transportation of copra from Watrap to Sattur. The Collector, who intervened, said that he would issue an order to shift the copra procurement centre to Watrap.
The Collector promised to draw the attention of higher officials of insurance company for distribution of compensation under crop insurance for the year 2016-17 for farmers of Veppilaipatti and Minakulam.
Even as the officials claimed that jewels pledged under jewel loan that had been waived have been returned to as many as 19,343 persons from various Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, farmers complained that many societies were forcing farmers to make fixed deposits to return the money or sought bribe.
“In some of the societies, the farmers were forced to pay bribe. In some societies, they were asked to deposit 20% or 30% of the loan amount that was waived,” Mr. Vijayamurugan said. The officials promised to look into the allegations.
District Revenue Officer R. Mangalaramasubramanian; Sub-Collector of Sivakasi M. Birathiviraj; Joint Director of Agriculture S. Uthandaraman; Deputy Wildlife Warden Dilipkumar; Personal Assistant (Agriculture) to Collector Sankar S. Narayanan; Joint Director of Animal Husbandary Ravichandran were among those who were present.
