5 months ago
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Cyclone-related rainfall and lodging of sugarcane crossed parts of the Cauvery delta person lowered expected yields up of Pongal, raising concerns among growers astir some the crop’s prime and the viability of this season’s marketplace returns.
In Varagukottai colony nether Kattur panchayat successful Thanjavur taluk, sugarcane husbandman S. Prabhakaran was preparing his fields connected Thursday, removing the tops of the maturing canes—a last measurement earlier harvest.
He said the play had go financially stressful aft the cyclone. Prabhakaran, who has cultivated a 4th acre this year, said the economics of sugarcane were choky adjacent successful mean times, with the outgo of cultivation connected 1 acre ranging betwixt ₹1 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh. Under favourable conditions, astir 22,000 canes tin beryllium planted connected an acre, but the dense rainfall and upwind past week caused extended lodging successful his field.
“Once the cane falls, the prime goes down instantly and the recoverable output reduces. This time, a bully information of the basal has been affected and the full output volition surely beryllium lower,” helium said. Sugarcane for the Pongal marketplace is usually raised implicit a ten-month cycle—from the Tamil period of Panguni to the Thai harvest—and immoderate disturbance astatine the maturity signifier results successful nonstop economical loss.
This season’s terms inclination has intensified farmers’ worry. According to Mr.Prabhakaran, the existent complaint of ₹15,000 for 1,000 canes is unviable, particularly since harvesting unsocial costs not little than ₹2,000 per acre. “To enactment afloat, we request astatine slightest ₹20,000 for 1,000 canes. But for years, the authorities has ne'er purchased straight from us. Only agents and middlemen bargain from the tract and proviso to the government. Farmers are paid the slightest successful the chain,” helium said.
“This year’s Pongal acquisition hamper indispensable beryllium revised to guarantee farmers get a just return,” said Sundara Vimal Nathan, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Federation, speaking to The Hindu. “Every ration cardholder should person 2 sugarcanes alternatively of one, and the hamper indispensable see accepted jaggery—achu vellam oregon urundai vellam—sourced lone from Tamil Nadu farmers. No procurement should beryllium made from extracurricular the State.”
He said the government-fixed terms of ₹35 per cane successful caller years had not reached growers fully, with galore receiving lone ₹13 to ₹15 owed to the engagement of intermediaries. “This year, the procurement terms indispensable beryllium ₹45 per cane, and the afloat magnitude should beryllium credited straight into farmers’ slope accounts to forestall immoderate irregularities,” helium added. He urged the authorities to contented the Pongal bundle bid rapidly and to travel the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court’s guidance from past twelvemonth portion finalising procurement.
According to officials successful the Agriculture Department, sugarcane is grown connected astir 2,000 hectares successful Thanjavur district, of which astir 200 acres are nether ‘Panneer Karumbu’, the accepted assortment preferred for Pongal celebrations. With the cyclone striking astatine the end-stage of the crop, officials expect the marketed surplus of festival cane to tighten, peculiarly successful pockets wherever the lodging was severe.
