The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sugarcane farmers upset

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Saturday, Feb 27, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sugarcane farmers upset

L. Renganathan

Collector assures to look into collection charges

Demand to return collection charges
Farmers call for planned power cut

KULITHALAI: Sugarcane growers in Karur district have lambasted collection of Rs. 900 per lakh by the Tiruchi District Central Cooperative Bank and the respective Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies as collection charges from the money the sugar mills pay to growers for the cane procured.

Giving vent to their ire at the farmers grievances day meet held here on Friday, sugarcane growers, including Valayapatti Farmers’ Discussion Group convener R. Satheesh, S. Prabhu from the same village and the Pettaivaithalai Sugarcane Growers’ Association president K. Anabalagan of Nachalur, pointed out that the TDCC and the PACS charged Rs. 450 each towards collection/clearing, service and postal charges.

Under strain

The cane-growers were under severe strain and the additional burden should not have been imposed, they said.

There has been instruction that such additional charges should not be levied on the growers and there was also the case of the farmers suffering charges twice.

Norms flouted

The TDCC and the PACS flouted collection norms, the farmers said.

They demanded that the amounts thus collected should be returned immediately and collection stopped.

Responding, Collector J. Uma Maheswari said that she would ask the officials to look into the matter immediately and, if any anomaly was found, that would be set right accordingly..

Heeding her counsel, the farmers agreed to discuss the issue with Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies R. Uma Maheswari for a solution.

Power supply erratic

Farmers also expressed their unhappiness at the erratic manner in which the power was supplied, especially in the Kulithalai-Nachalur-Nangavaram belt.

“We don’t know when power supply would be given and how long it would last. The personnel at the power stations too do not seem to be in the know of things and we are forced to keep our fingers crossed. What we need is a planned schedule of power cut,” the farmers said.

Display power cut schedule

Dr. Maheswari directed the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board officials to display the schedule of power cut prominently in the offices and power sub-stations.

A large number of farmers, including working president of the Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association Mahadanapuram V. Rajaram, deputy secretary Kavandampatti R. Subramanian, Farmers’ Discussion Group convener Kulithalai A.V. Gopaladesikan and Kulithalai M. Rajeswari, participated in the deliberations.

Joint Director of Agriculture Jagadeesan, Lead District Manager K. Chandrasekaran, Personal Assistant to Collector (Agriculture) Kandasamy, and officials from various departments were present.

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