Madurai: Sugarcane farmers have accused private sugar mills of illegally cutting and taking away crops registered under the National Cooperative Sugar Mills (NCSM) in Alanganallur, reported The Times of India.
The issue was brought to light during a farmers’ grievance meeting held at the collector’s office on Friday. N. Palanisamy, state deputy president of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers’ Association (TNSFA), alleged that private mills took sugarcane meant for the NCSM without authorization.
“These private mills are not only stealing crops, but they are also offering incentives to farmers who supply to them,” Palanisamy said, raising concerns about the future viability of the cooperative mill.
District collector M.S. Sangeetha responded by directing officials from the sugarcane development department to investigate the allegations.
In addition to the issue of crop poaching, farmers also raised concerns about water resource encroachment and the lack of a permanent paddy procurement center in the Thirumangalam region. While acknowledging the difficulties faced by paddy farmers, the collector explained that a permanent center could be misused by traders who might exploit farmers by buying paddy at lower rates. As a solution, the collector suggested establishing temporary procurement centers during harvest seasons.
