Allow toddy tapping to increase income of farmers, says KMDK general secretary

KMDK urges government to allow toddy tapping to increase farmers' income; Kongu region faces industrial and healthcare challenges.

Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) general secretary E.R. Eswaran urged the government to allow toddy tapping to increase farmers’ income on Sunday.

Speaking at the KMDK State conference held at Perundurai in Erode district on Sunday, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said that as an alliance partner, Mr. Eswaran was working hard to procure basic amenities and medical and industrial infrastructure for the Kongu region. For the past eight years, KMDK has been an alliance partner of the DMK, so Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been conceding to Mr. Eswaran’s demands.

The Kongu region alone generated ₹40,000 crore as export revenue, which was possible because of the entrepreneurs here. The Chief Minister signed an agreement with a private company in Spain, and Perundurai would soon see investments of ₹400 crore soon.

Housing and Urban Development Minister S. Muthusamy said the Kongu region should be developed in a big way.

Mr. Eswaran questioned what the four MLAs of the BJP had done for the Kongu region. Regarding elections, the alliance was decided based on the situation. Farmers income should be doubled, and it would be possible only by allowing toddy tapping and increasing the ethanol level in petrol. The textile, transport, and poultry businesses in the Kongu region were suffering due to the policies of the Union Government. Because of the industrial effluents mixing with groundwater, in the Kongu region alone, 21 cancer hospitals were functioning due to the increase in cancer cases. Large districts like Coimbatore, Erode, and Salem should be bifurcated, Mr. Eswaran added.