Sugarcane farmers and traders in Dindigul feel the heat this season

Sugarcane farmers and traders in Dindigul are facing an unusual situation this year. It has been a week since Pongal festivities came to an end but at the Gandhi Market in Dindigul, stacks of sugarcane stand wilting in the sun. Traders say that more than ten tonnes of sugarcane have piled up in the market and sales this year have been extremely poor. Within a week, the traders fear that the sugarcane will become unfit for consumption.

Katturaja, a trader, says that for him alone sugarcane bundles worth almost ₹80,000 were lying unsold. “Now, I am forced to sell one stalk of sugarcane at ₹30. During the season it would have fetched me ₹60,” he rues.

Some traders are staring at a loss of ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh.  Selva, another trader, says that almost 15 mini-truck loads of sugarcane were lying unsold. He points out that this year they were caught unawares by the sudden rain that lashed the district just before Pongal.

“Due to the rain we were unable to harvest the sugarcane and transport it to the market. By the time we did, it was already ‘Mattu Pongal’ and the business had come down and we were left with unsold produce,” he said. Now, the traders were waiting to sell the produce during  local temple festivals or jallikatu events. “In areas like Sanarpatti, the sugarcane crop is still standing in the field without being harvested as there are no buyers,” he adds.

R. Ganesan, a farmer, points out that in areas like Thadikombu and Chettinaickenpatti, harvesting has not been done in almost ten acres. “If the cane was not cut, the crop would go waste,” he says.  

The government can show some support to the sugarcane farmers by buying the local produce for pongal gift hampers. “This can be distributed at the PDS shops within the district. This will also help reduce the transportation charges. Why procure sugarcane from other areas when there is cultivation within the district?” he asks.

Many traders also feel that youngsters show very little interest in chewing the fibrous stalk. “We used to buy sugarcane in bulk during this season as at home everyone would spend time relishing this. Now, I just buy a little piece for old time sake,” says Debina, a homemaker.

Shenbagam, who is a retailer at the market, says, “the zest with which people enjoyed eating the sugarcane has come down. Earlier, I would earn about ₹600 daily but now it is almost nothing”.

Changing times and vagaries of nature have hit the sugarcane farmers and the seasonal traders hard. Ganesan, who had about three acres under sugarcane cultivation now has only 40 cents under the crop. “I am planning to go in for coconut farming,” he says and adds that farming was no longer a lucrative option.