Explaining the demands of sugarcane growers and workers of sugar mills in the State over which they had been agitating for some time now, DMK President Kalaignar said that neither the Chief Minister nor Ministers nor officials seemed to be concerned by their plight. Only if a government properly functioned the issues of people would be attended, he observed.
In a statement on Dec 29, Kalaignar said even after three months of the beginning of sugarcane crushing season of 2014-15, the ADMK regime has not so far announced support price for sugarcane for this year so far, worrying the growers. The functionaries of farmers associations had given vent to their anxiety stating, ‘During the DMK rule, tripartite meetings presided over by the Agriculture Minister were held and fair price acceptable to growers and mill managements were fixed, but since the ADMK regime came into being such meetings were not conducted’.
In Tamil Nadu, there were 27 private 13 cooperative and two public sector sugar mills and three lakh farmers were engaged in sugarcane cultivation over 8.6 lakh acres. Last year, the Central and State governments announced procurement price of sugarcane at Rs.2,650 per ton from which transport charges of Rs.100 was recovered. The growers complained that the price was not remunerative for them. During DMK rule, the price was increased to Rs.2,000 per ton in 2010-11 from Rs. 1014 fixed by ADMK regime in 2005-06.
But in this anti-democratic regime there was no place for tripartite meetings and procurement price was fixed unilaterally. This year as the advisory price of the State government was not announced even after three months of crushing season, the previous price of Rs. 2,550 per tonne only was paid. Private mills were paying only between Rs. 2,300 and Rs. 2,400. There were reports now that the Director of Sugars of the State government has sent letters to sugar mills to pay Rs 2,200 per tonne as announced by the Centre, which was objected to by growers association, saying that the reduction by Rs.450 from the already paid price of Rs.2,650 was like adding fuel to fire, particularly when fertilizer expenses, pesticides and workers’ wages had severely increased. They wanted the order of the director to be rescinded because it was favouring private mills and the procurement price should be fixed at Rs 3,500 per tonne this year. They had threatened to start agitations in front of sugar mills if fair price was not announced by convening tripartite meeting. Moreover, in many places the arrears for sugarcane procured for the crushing season of 2013-14 was still not disbursed.
Hence Kalaignar urged the ADMK regime to immediately convene tripartite meeting, fix the State’s advisory price not less than Rs.3,500 and take urgent steps for the disbursal of arrears of Rs.200 crore to farmers.
The workers of public sector and cooperative sugar mills were on stirs since November 9 demanding wage revision. Due to their agitation, crushing work in these mills was affected in turn affecting farmers of different districts also.
But the Chief Minister or Ministers or officials did not seem to be concerned over these problems of sugarcane growers and workers of sugar mills, Kalaignar said adding only if a government properly functioned, there would be interest in solving the issues of people then and there.
In a statement on Dec 29, Kalaignar said even after three months of the beginning of sugarcane crushing season of 2014-15, the ADMK regime has not so far announced support price for sugarcane for this year so far, worrying the growers. The functionaries of farmers associations had given vent to their anxiety stating, ‘During the DMK rule, tripartite meetings presided over by the Agriculture Minister were held and fair price acceptable to growers and mill managements were fixed, but since the ADMK regime came into being such meetings were not conducted’.
In Tamil Nadu, there were 27 private 13 cooperative and two public sector sugar mills and three lakh farmers were engaged in sugarcane cultivation over 8.6 lakh acres. Last year, the Central and State governments announced procurement price of sugarcane at Rs.2,650 per ton from which transport charges of Rs.100 was recovered. The growers complained that the price was not remunerative for them. During DMK rule, the price was increased to Rs.2,000 per ton in 2010-11 from Rs. 1014 fixed by ADMK regime in 2005-06.
But in this anti-democratic regime there was no place for tripartite meetings and procurement price was fixed unilaterally. This year as the advisory price of the State government was not announced even after three months of crushing season, the previous price of Rs. 2,550 per tonne only was paid. Private mills were paying only between Rs. 2,300 and Rs. 2,400. There were reports now that the Director of Sugars of the State government has sent letters to sugar mills to pay Rs 2,200 per tonne as announced by the Centre, which was objected to by growers association, saying that the reduction by Rs.450 from the already paid price of Rs.2,650 was like adding fuel to fire, particularly when fertilizer expenses, pesticides and workers’ wages had severely increased. They wanted the order of the director to be rescinded because it was favouring private mills and the procurement price should be fixed at Rs 3,500 per tonne this year. They had threatened to start agitations in front of sugar mills if fair price was not announced by convening tripartite meeting. Moreover, in many places the arrears for sugarcane procured for the crushing season of 2013-14 was still not disbursed.
Hence Kalaignar urged the ADMK regime to immediately convene tripartite meeting, fix the State’s advisory price not less than Rs.3,500 and take urgent steps for the disbursal of arrears of Rs.200 crore to farmers.
The workers of public sector and cooperative sugar mills were on stirs since November 9 demanding wage revision. Due to their agitation, crushing work in these mills was affected in turn affecting farmers of different districts also.
But the Chief Minister or Ministers or officials did not seem to be concerned over these problems of sugarcane growers and workers of sugar mills, Kalaignar said adding only if a government properly functioned, there would be interest in solving the issues of people then and there.
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