Despite slump in yield in certain pockets, sugarcane growers in Chinnamanur are jubilant as the prices of sugarcane have touched a peak, thanks to the growing demand for cane this Pongal season in different parts of the State, especially in the western and the southern districts.
In some pockets in Chinnamanur, farmers have got a bumper yield, but it has not brought down prices, say traders.
Now a bundle of 10 top-quality sugarcanes is being procured at Rs 200, and lesser quality at Rs 180 in Chinnamanur region.
Traders from Tirunvelveli, Virudhunagar, Tuticorin and Nagercoil procure sugarcanes in large numbers, making on-the-spot payment. Mini lorries, vans and trucks line up before every farm in Chinnamanur to load sugarcanes.
Sugarcane yield is less in some pockets in Chinnamanur owing to scanty rainfall at the right time. Normally, growers get around 1,500 bundles per acre. But now they got only around 1,200 bundles. But farmers offset yield loss with the best price, says S. Kumarasamy, a sugarcane grower of Chinnamanur.
Sugarcanes were harvested on a war footing in Chinnamanur in Theni district and Vakkampatti, Chettinaickenpatti, Kannivadi and Vadamadurai in Dindigul districts in the last three days.
“We have to clear our farm before Wednesday night, otherwise we cannot sell sugarcanes after Pongal. We pay Rs 250 to the workers for cutting and packing,” say traders. “Besides, we have to bear freight charges too,” they add.
In Dindigul, sugarcane procurement price is in the range of Rs 200-250 per bundle.
Traders in Dindigul wholesale market sell canes at Rs 40 to Rs 45 a piece. In retail market, prices of canes oscillate between Rs 45 and Rs 60 a piece. The retail selling price was between Rs 25 and Rs 40 during the last Pongal season.
The price is fixed on the basis of size, quality and length of the sugarcane, says a trader in Dindigul. Last year, it was procured for Rs 110 to Rs 150 per bundle.
Dindigul has also been supplying sugarcanes to the western and the southern parts of the State. Sugarcanes used by sugar industry is being cultivated in Periyarkulam and Andipatti in Theni district, and Palani, Oddanchatram and Reddiyarchatram in Dindigul district.
