Min Periyakaruppan rebuts EPS' claims on sugarcane procurement

CHENNAI: State co-operatives minister K R Periyakaruppan on Thursday advised Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami to atleast read the GOs during his chief ministership before criticising the incumbent government on the issue of procuring sugarcane for Pongal distribution .

In a statement issued late Thursday night, Periyakaruppan rebutted the LoP’s claims and said that EPS has issued a statement with the sole intention of blaming the DMK government.

Remarking that EPS has celebrated four pongals as the CM, the state cooperatives minister said that EPS could have at least understood the crux of the GOs issued during his CMship for sugarcane procurement or read the GO issued now or learned from those who read the recent GO before issuing the statement on sugarcane procurement.

Pointing out that sugarcane was procured for Rs 30 per piece, including harvesting, packing and unloading charges during his Chief Ministership for 2021 Pongal, Periyakaruppan said, “Does he know how much was paid to cane farmers then? After this government took over in 2022, Rs 33 per sugarcane was paid, which is 10% higher than the price paid by the previous AIADMK regime. Rs 33 per sugarcane, inclusive of the money paid to farmers and all charges, was paid this year (2023) too.”

Clarifying that guidelines were issued to ensure that the price paid was not less than last year and the money was wired to the farmers, the minister exhorted the former CM to get some clarity by consulting sugarcane farmers in his native Salem.

Stating that about Rs 60,646 crores of crop loan was disbursed during 2011-21 AIADMK period, Periyakaruppan said that crop loan to the tune of Rs 20,653 crore was disbursed in the 21 months of the DMK regime.