Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur   

Accord signed on crushing sugarcane breached: Farmers

Special Correspondent

Give vent to their ire at grievance day meeting in Thanjavur

Thanjavur: Farmers in the district have demanded that Thiru Arooran sugar factory at Thirumandankudi should crush sugarcane as per an agreement it entered with State-owned Arignar Anna sugar factory at Kurunkulam.

Speaking at the monthly agriculture grievance day meeting here on Friday, the farmers said the two mills signed a memorandum of understanding on July 18, 2006 for crushing one lakh tonnes of sugarcane diverted from Arignar Anna sugar factory by Thiruarooran mill. But it had not taken place.

Collector C. Vijayaraj Kumar, who chaired the meeting, said that after discussing the matter with the Commissioner of Sugar, it was decided to divert hundred tonnes of cane from Arignar Anna sugar factory every day from Monday for crushing at Thiruarooran factory. To this the farmers said that diversion of mere hundred tonnes would lead to delay in crushing one lakh tonnes of cane. Steps should be taken to crush the one lakh tonnes quickly. The Collector said that Thiruarooran sugar factory has informed him that because of installation of new machinery the factory was crushing only 3,258 tonnes of sugarcane against the capacity of 5,000 tonnes a day. Hence, the delay.

Stage walkout

A section of the farmers, staged a walkout from the meeting, stating that the final award of the Tribunal on Cauvery waters was a disappointment to Tamil Nadu. Condemning protests in Karnataka, they said that the award was not fair and demanded that the Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu must resign.

Some farmers welcomed the award and also the decision of Tamil Nadu Government to file a review petition. They also thanked the Tamil Nadu Government for convening an all-party meeting and appealed to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to include farmers' organisations also in the meeting.

The Collector said that samba harvest was completed on 69,090 hectares against the total coverage of 99,515 hectares. Pulses were raised on 37,000 hectares.

M. Jothi, Joint-Director of Agriculture, participated.

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