Check post officials to stop Vellore cane from going to AP for crushing

Speaking to DT Next, mill chairman M Anandan said, “This measure has been initiated to prevent cane from farmers, nearly 1 tonne, who are not registered with the Vellore district from moving their harvested crops to sugar mills in AP. We are making efforts to bring the loads from them also to the Vellore mill.”

Asked why they were preventing farmers from selling cane to AP, which offer better price than TN mills, he said, “They did not register their cane with the Vellore mill, as they feared that it will commence crushing like in Ambur mill, which has only old equipment and thus causing a loss, from where the government diverted the cane to the Vellore unit.”

The collector has written to the departments concerned to ensure that the check-posts on Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border is located around 10 km from Katpadi.

Farmers are worried that the cane cultivation would cease if dues were not paid.

“While the mill cleared farmers dues for the last two years, a few growers attached to the Vellore mill are yet to get Rs 16 crore SAP (State Advisory Price) for the period - 2014-2017,” said Cane Farmers Association secretary VM Sekaran. While the above was what the government owed farmers, “The mill owed Rs 1.48 crore, which was not paid despite repeated pleas, to local farmers,” said joint secretary KT Amaresan. However, Anandan said payment of dues was possible due to the prevailing high price for molasses from distilleries. The unit has nearly 1,200 tonnes and another 4,800 tonnes were expected when the present crushing ended.

“Molasses is now sold for Rs 12,000 a tonne,” Anandan added. “Also, the government had announced that it would clear all dues shortly,” he averred.

Similarly, the present crushing will ensure that the mill’s 15 MW cogeneration plant works on steam due to the availability of bagasse. While the mill used 5 MW for its needs, the remaining 10 MW was evacuated to the State grid. “But TANGEDCO still owes us Rs 7 crore in power dues,” Anandan said.