Tamil Nadu : Reopen cooperative sugar mill in Alanganallur, urge farmers
Farmers in Alanganallur allege irregularities in farmland registration under the local cooperative sugar mill, blaming this for delays in reopening. They claim private mills are registering land in the cooperative area. Despite having 4,000 hectares of command area, only 200 acres are registered. Farmers demand government action and mill revival.
MADURAI: Farmers in Alanganallur have raised concerns of foul play in the total area of farmland registered under the Alanganallur cooperative sugarcane mill, simultaneously highlighting that falling short of meeting the criterion has been the major reason for the delay in reopening the mill.
They alleged that several private mills are registering farmland in the cooperative command areas under their names, and urged the state government to take action.
Owing to consecutive years of drought, the decades-old Alanganallur sugar mill terminated operations between 2020 and 2021, and continued to stay shut despite a series of farmer protests. Recently, the farmers associated with the CITU announced a massive protest, demanding that the mill be reopened in the first week of August.
Many sugarcane farmers in Madurai have demanded the same during subsequent agricultural grievance redressal meetings. With the elections coming up next year, several farmers count on the government to take favourable action in the issue.
On the status of the mill, collector K J Praveen Kumar said, “The mill requires 1-1.5 lakh tonnes of sugarcane for operation, for which about 1,000 hectares need to be registered under the cooperative sugarcane mill. But, as of June 2025, only 200 acres have been registered. Since the Alanganallur sugar mill is non-operational, sugarcane is temporarily being diverted to Thanjavur Aringar Anna Sugar Mill.”
N Palanichamy, a member of the Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers Association, said the cooperative mill has 4,000 hectares of command area. “As the mill is understaffed, farmland registration was not properly done. Also, proper action should be taken to prevent private mills from illegally registering farmland in the cooperative mill area under their names.”
He said a special committee, after inspecting the mill in 2023, stated that Rs 27 crore is required to reopen the mill, but the state government is still delaying the process. “Though the DMK had promised to take action on said issues during the previous election, they still remain unaddressed,” he added.
Ayyankalai, a sugarcane farmer from Madurai, said many farmers have given up on sugarcane cultivation due to the drop in prices in the open market and the low prices quoted by private companies.
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Source : The New Indian Express
