Villupuram, Tamil Nadu: For the sugarcane farmers in Villupuram, Pongal has brought cheers as the private sugar mills have paid their pending cane dues, reports The New Indian Express.
The delay in cane payment has affected more than 10,000 cane farmers in the region and around 50% of the cane farmers had shifted to other crops in the last five years. A region that was popular for cane cultivation is now growing paddy, peas, flowers, millets and pulses.
The private mills cleared the pending cane dues after several agitations and protests launched by farmers. The millers have stated that the lockdown affected their plan of clearing pending cane dues and was delayed due to lowering revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
