Coimbatore: The state government has started buying sugarcane in bulk for distribution through Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets, bringing relief to farmers in Salem as their produce is now fetching better prices.
Sugarcane farmers from Poolampatti near Edappadi are directly selling bundles of 20 to consumers at rates ranging from Rs 350 to Rs 420. For several days now, farmers have been engaged in cutting sugarcane grown on over 2,000 acres of land in the Cauvery basin areas- Poolampatti, Kudakkal, Kuppanur, Pillukurichi, Nedungulam, and Koneripatti. The sugarcane grown in this region is the popular variety for the taste, owing to the fertility of the soil and good supply of water. This is how S Murugesan, a farmer from Poolampatti opined.
Traders from this region buy cane in bulk to send to states like Gujarat and Hyderabad. Meanwhile, officials from cooperative departments have been visiting Salem, Namakkal, and Erode districts to buy cane for Pongal kits distributed to ration card holders through PDS outlets.
S Nalla Gounder, vice president of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association, pointed out that the area under sugarcane cultivation in Tamil Nadu has decreased significantly due to poor returns. The state government had set a supportive price of Rs 215 per tonne for the 2023-2024 financial year. For the 2024-2025 crushing season, the Central government announced a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 3,400 per tonne based on a recovery rate of 10.25 per cent.
Farmers in Tamil Nadu, however, receive a lower price because the sugar content in their cane is lower compared to Maharashtra and Karnataka. While Tamil Nadu farmers report a sugar recovery rate of 8.5 per cent, farmers in other states achieve higher rates. We demand to fix a minimum FRP of Rs 5,500, said Nalla Gounder.
