Farmers in Tiruchi and Thanjavur districts, who had raised senkarumbu, the edible sugarcane variety ubiquitous during Pongal festivities, are disappointed over the poor farmgate price offered by traders this season.
Although the harvest has been good, the farmers complain that they are faced with losses for the third consecutive year on raising the sugarcane variety, also known as panneer karumbu. While a glut in market was blamed in 2020, poor demand due to the pandemic and the restrictions imposed to check its spread are cited as the reasons for the poor prices last year and this Pongal season.
Farmers raise the crop of 10-11 months duration in specific pockets such as Tiruvalarsolai near Tiruchi district and Thirukattupalli in Thanjavur district seeking to leverage the demand during Pongal.
Though the State government has ordered procurement of the sugarcane to be given as part of the Pongal gift hampers to ration card holders at ₹33 apiece, a section of farmers allege that they are being offered a much lower price – anywhere between ₹15 and ₹20 apiece. Besides, not all farmers get to supply to the government, forcing many to depend on traders.
The government move to supply a full grown cane through ration shops may also force private traders to scale down their purchase as there may not be much demand in the open market, some farmers said.
Farmers complain that after spending about ₹2 lakh an acre to raise the crop, they could hardly manage to sell the cane for ₹2.40 lakh. “We had a good season this year, but the price that is being offered by traders is disappointing. The pandemic and lockdown is hurting us badly. We had raised the crop on two acres by raising loans. The cost of cultivation has gone up due to the steep increase in prices of fertilizers. After all this, we are just offered ₹16-17 a cane. But the cost of a cane works out to ₹18-19 for us if we include the cutting and loading cost,” said T. Saravanan of Thiruvalarsolai.
But with just three days to go for Pongal, he has no other option but to sell the cane at whatever price that is offered by traders. “We have been suffering losses for the past three years, despite a good harvest,” he rued.
Echoing similar sentiments, P. Raghu, a farmer of Nadupadugai near Thirukattupalli, who has been assisting his brother in overseeing the harvest, alleged that farmers have been left with little bargaining power as they can hardly leave the cane unsold.
“We need to get at least ₹20 apiece, but are being offered much less. Going by the present situation, there could be still some cane left on the field after Pongal,” he feared.