TIRUCHY: Kurungulam Arignar Anna sugar mill commenced crushing season with a target of 1.60 lakh ton as the acreage of sugarcane cultivation had increased, and the farmers appealed for on-time direct cash transfer to the respective accounts of the farmers.

The crushing of sugarcane has been undertaken at the Kurungulam Arignar Anna Sugar Mill with the sugarcane cultivated by farmers from Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts. Accordingly, as many as 1,800 farmers who cultivate sugarcane in an area of 5,500 acres in the districts used to send crops for crushing.

As the cutting season for sugarcane commenced with the special pooja, the farmers have been sending them to the mill, where the crushing activity commenced on Thursday.

The Gandharvakottai MLA M Chinnadurai, who was the special guest for the commencement of the crushing activities in the presence of the Chief Administrative Officer S Raman, said that the mills administration should ensure on-time payment to the farmers by direct cash transfer, which could benefit the farmers.

While speaking, the officials from the mills said the cultivation acreage for the Kurungulam mills was 5,000 acres last year and 1.25 lakh tons of sugarcane were crushed. "It has been increased to 5,500 acres this year, and a target of 1.60 lakh ton of sugarcane has been fixed for crushing this year," the officials said.

Meanwhile, the farmers who were present said that the cutting of sugarcane has commenced, and the mills should ensure proper crushing activities and should avoid unnecessary delay so that the field-to-mill activity would not be hindered. The farmers also demanded direct cash transfer to the respective farmers.

And the Chief Administrative Officer assured that direct cash transfer to the farmers, and they need not worry about the delay in crushing, as all steps are initiated well in advance, he said.

Thanjavur Joint Director (Agri) G Vidhya, Assistant Director (Agri) Indrajit, sugarcane farmers association office bearers Govindaraj, Ramasamy, Arivalagan, Durai Baskar and others were present.