Ranipet ryots welcome cane harvester, but sick of dormant mills

RANIPET: The handing over of the fourth sugar cane harvester to a farmer in Ranipet district has been welcomed, but at the same time the ryots highlighted that the mills to which they were attached have been dormant for years.

According to sources, cane farmers in the Banavaram and Panapakkam firkas in the Ranipet district were attached to a private sugar mill in the Kanchipuram district. However, as the mill was dormant for the last few years, farmers in the area opt for jaggery manufacture. This was highlighted when ‘Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam’ youth wing state president R Subash in a letter to the Ranipet Collector requested that cane farmers in the above firkas be attached to the Vellore or Tiruttani sugar mills.

Though cane farmers purchase harvesters they can function only under a tripartite agreement between the sugar mill, the agricultural engineering department, and the farmer. They can opt for private jobs only after they complete work in the concerned mill’s registered area at rates defined by the department. Private cane-cutting jobs too are allowed only after they receive a NOC from the concerned mill and agri-engineering department, sources revealed.

Sangam Ranipet district president CS Mani wondered how the machines would be useful when the mill at Kanchipuram was yet to register cane. “The Vellore cooperative sugar mills functioning in the current season which has resulted in a very high recovery percentage and the fact that its registered members have no pending arrears due to the efforts of mill chairman M Anandan has resulted in increasing clamour among ryots to be attached to this mill,” Subash said.

However, cane farmers welcomed the harvesters which saved them a minimum of Rs 600 per tonne in cutting charges when manual labour was used while also doing it in less time.