The agriculture budget for 2022-23 allocated ₹7.05 crore for the Sugar Department, which was earlier under the control of the Department of Industries and has now been brought under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam announced various schemes for sugar cane farmers to be implemented in 2022-23.
“To address the long-standing demand of sugar cane growers for increasing the price, the government has decided to extend a special incentive of ₹195 per tonne to the eligible farmers who supplied to registered sugar mills during the 2021-22 crushing season. The scheme will benefit about 1.20 lakh farmers,” he said.
The Minister said a sugarcane cultivation development programme would be implemented with subsidy for breeder seed sets, tissue culture seedlings, bud chip seedlings, single bud sets, biofertilizers, de-trashing tools, water soluble fertilizers and trash shredding operation, besides installation of hydraulic tipplers on an outlay of ₹10 crore to be drawn from the Union and State government funds.
The laboratories at the 15 co-operative and public sector sugar mills will be modernised on an outlay of ₹3 crore in State funds. The mills are Amaravathi, Arignar Anna, Cheyyar, Chengalrayan, Dharmapuri, Kallakurichi-1, Kallakurichi-2, MRK, Madurantakam, Perambalur, Subramaniya Siva, Salem, Tirupattur, Tiruttani and Vellore.
Mr. Panneerselvam said the NPKRR Cooperative Sugar Mills, the only mill located in Mayiladuthurai district, had not been working since the 2016-17 crushing season because of less availability of cane. Considering the representations of farmers, a committee would be constituted to examine the possibility of resuming its operation.
The cane weighment systems at 15 cooperative and public sector sugar mills would be automated on an outlay of ₹1.50 crore in State funds, Mr. Panneerselvam said. This project would help to convey weighment details instantly to farmers, vehicle-owners and field staff through SMS.
Mr. Panneerselvam also announced financial assistance for opening high-quality jaggery production units meant to increase the income of sugar cane farmers. Assistance would be provided to 100 farmers to open units for production of powder jaggery and mould jaggery at the rate of ₹1 lakh apiece. The scheme would be implemented in Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Theni and Dindigul Districts. A sum of ₹1 crore had been allocated under the State Agriculture Development Scheme during 2022-23.
