Members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association staged a protest in front of the Thanjavur district collector’s office on Monday, urging the government to compensate sugarcane crops damaged by recent rains, reported The Times of India.

According to the protesting farmers, sugarcane crops ready for harvest ahead of the Pongal festival were severely affected. “The rains caused by Cyclone Fengal have damaged several hundred acres of sugarcane crops in villages like Ammapettai, Puthur, Puliyakkudi, and Vadakuthoppu,” said R. Senthil Kumar, the association’s district deputy secretary. “We are calling on the state government to offer compensation for these losses.”

He further highlighted the financial burden faced by farmers. “We spend ₹2.25 lakh to cultivate one acre of sugarcane. While officials are surveying damage in paddy fields after the rain, no one has inspected the sugarcane fields. We demand that officials from the agriculture and revenue departments conduct surveys to assess the damage to our crops,” he added.

In a parallel move, a group of farmers submitted a petition regarding the issue to district collector B. Priyanka Pankajam during the grievance redressal meeting held on Monday.

Responding to the farmers’ concerns, Thanjavur Joint Director of Agriculture Vidhya said, “So far, only a few cases of damage in sugarcane fields have been reported. However, we will work with field officers to review the situation and submit a report. If the damage is severe, farmers will be compensated for their losses.”

Source - https://www.chinimandi.com