Madurai: Pongal celebrations are not so sweet this year in Tamil Nadu. That is because sugarcane, an integral part of the festivities, is in short supply.
Sudden rains in the state just before the harvest have ruined vast quantities of the crop in southern Tamil Nadu.
Last year, the price for a bunch of sugarcane was Rs 100 at Pongal, but this year, they have shot up to Rs 250 a bunch due to the shortage in supply.
"We struggled to buy sugarcane from the farmers. There was hardly any sugarcane! The rains have destroyed the crop. So prices have gone up substantially,” bemoaned a farmer, Thyagarajan,
For the farmers, it means a loss of their livelihood.
"Every year we send 10 to 12 tonnes of sugarcane to the markets. This year we've got only two to three tractor-loads. Huge losses! We're in a bad situation,” says another sugarcane farmer, Murugan, Sugarcane Farmer.
Farmers in the state have been protesting for several months that sugar companies aren't buying cane from them as directed by the government but from private farms which sell at lower rates.
Untimely monsoons have only added to their woes.
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