This Pongal is a bitter season for sugarcane cultivators in the region with agony piling up not only due to the failure of mills to settle their dues running into several crores of rupees, but also because of the absence of State Administered Price (SAP).
Leave alone fixing SAP, farmers are disappointed with the government over its silence over private mills refusing to pay even last year’s recommended price. There is no question of celebrating Pongal as no reprieve is in sight due to bankruptcy, farmers say. Already in severe financial crises, cultivators lament that they would be doomed if there is no course-correction in the Central and State policies. While the Centre could intervene and safeguard sugar industry from collapse by combining an increase in duty on imports with enhancing composition of ethanol in petrol to 25 per cent from existing five per cent, the State must not fail to consult farmers before arriving at the procurement price on a periodic basis, according to representatives of farmers’ associations.
There was no reason for private mills to disregard SAP when cooperative and public sector mills were abiding by the recommendation, Subi Thalapathi, representative of Thadapalli-Arakankottai Ayacut Farmers’ Association said. At present, none of the private mills paid the farmers beyond Rs 2,400 per tonne, against the recommended rate of Rs 2,600, he said.