Sugarcane farmers want DMK government to keep its poll promise

They want ₹4,000 per tonne of sugarcane as incentive

Sugarcane farmers staged a protest in Chennai on Thursday, urging the DMK government to keep its poll promise of providing ₹4,000 per tonne of sugarcane as incentive.

This was one of the main demands of the farmers, who also wanted the sharing formula introduced in 2018 to be cancelled, three cooperative mills at Ambur, Alanganallur and Thalaignayiru to be reopened and ₹2,000 crore worth of dues owed to them by the mills to be settled.

P. Shanmugam, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, said though the government had promised ₹4,000 per tonne in its election manifesto, it hiked the incentive by ₹2.50 a tonne. “This is hardly enough to cover the increase in inputs, including that of fertilizers. This tiny hike hardly shows the government’s commitment towards providing support to sugarcane farmers,” he said.

There are over 5 lakh sugarcane farmers in the State and they form the second largest agricultural producers next to paddy.