Tamil Nadu: Irrigation crisis threatens 4,000 acres of sugarcane in Madurai
Nearly 4,000 acres of sugarcane in Madurai district face crop damage due to inadequate irrigation and drying wells. Farmers are seeking urgent water measures and reopening of the Alanganallur cooperative sugar mill, closed for over eight years, while planning a September walkathon to press their demands.
Madurai: Nearly 4,000 acres of sugarcane cultivation in Melur, Vadipatti and other rainfed areas of Madurai district are facing the threat of crop damage due to inadequate irrigation, with farmers urging authorities to address the water shortage before the crops wither, The New Indian Express reported.
Of the total sugarcane area, around 1,500 acres are cultivated with green sugarcane, while the remaining acreage is under purple sugarcane. With irrigation wells drying up, farmers are increasingly relying on borewells to sustain their crops.
A sugarcane farmer from Melur, said he had cultivated purple sugarcane on about five acres but was struggling to maintain the crop after his irrigation wells dried up.
“We have two irrigation wells and two borewells. The irrigation wells have recently gone dry, leaving us dependent on borewells. If there is no adequate rainfall in the next three weeks, the crops will dry up,” he said.
The farmer added that the growth of newly planted sugarcane had also slowed considerably because of the shortage of water. Several farmers in the region have already reported crop losses due to inadequate water availability.
Farmers have also raised concerns over the prolonged closure of the Alanganallur National Cooperative Sugar Mill, saying the absence of the mill has deprived them of a dependable procurement and marketing facility.
N Palanichamy, president of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association and the Alanganallur National Cooperative Sugar Mill Committee, said farmers had passed a resolution seeking the immediate reopening of the mill.
“Despite a series of protests, no concrete action has been taken to reopen the cooperative sugar mill for more than eight years. The government should allocate funds to revive the mill and support sugarcane farmers,” he said.
Palanichamy added that the prolonged closure of the mill had contributed to a significant decline in the area under sugarcane cultivation.
As part of their agitation, farmers plan to organise a walkathon from Alanganallur to the Madurai District Collectorate in the first week of September. They will seek immediate measures to address the irrigation crisis and demand the reopening and revival of the cooperative sugar mill.
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Source : ChiniMandi
