Madurai: Farmers from Chellampatti, Usilampatti, and Alanganallur have urged the district administration to ensure that sugarcane from Madurai district is weighed locally instead of being sent to the government sugar mill in Thanjavur. They said the long transportation process leads to a loss in cane weight, resulting in lower returns, reported The New Indian Express.
At the monthly agricultural grievances meeting, farmers complained that sugarcane cultivated under the Alanganallur Cooperative Sugar Mill’s jurisdiction was being diverted to the Thanjavur government mill for crushing. Although the government covers the transportation costs, the delay in transit reduces the cane’s tonnage, they said.
Officials assured the farmers that the issue would be taken up with higher authorities for necessary action.
Some farmers proposed sending the sugarcane to nearby private mills instead of Thanjavur to save time, but others opposed the idea, arguing that such diversions could further delay the reopening of the Alanganallur Cooperative Sugar Mill, which has remained closed since 2020 due to drought.
Farmer leader Palanichamy urged the state government to speed up efforts to restart the cooperative mill at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department (WRD) announced that 150 cusecs of water would be released into the 58th canal from today. Farmers, however, complained about delays in canal maintenance work across several parts of the district. WRD officials responded that desilting and repair work was in progress in all affected areas.
A farmer from the Pandian region also raised concerns about delayed water flow to tail-end areas in Melur. WRD officials attributed this to waste dumping in the canal and said that local bodies have been instructed to remove the blockages and prevent further dumping.
