TN: Urge to increase sugarcane price

Pudukkottai, Nov 22: The cane-growers in this district of Tamil Nadu has urged the Government to increase the procurement price for sugarcane, in view of the hike in the cultivation expenditure and labour cost.

In a 'Farmers Grievances Day' meeting on Friday, Nov 21, the cane-growers said the State advisory price of Rs 1,050 a tonne was just Rs 16, above the one fixed for the last season and did not reflect any fairness on cultivation cost and labour cost. The President of the distict unit of the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association G S Dhanapathy said the Agricultural Produce Price Fixation Commission had recommended the fixation of price at Rs 1,550 with a recovery rate of nine per cent. The farmers incurred a huge expenditure for raising the cash-crop and the government should fix the price at Rs 2,275, per tonne of sugar cane, Mr Dhanapathy added.

A cross section of farmers pleaded for implementation of the National Crop Insurance scheme to benefit the flood-affected agriculturists.

UNI