On Tuesday, leaders of the CPM and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, both alliance partners of the DMK, urged the state government to safeguard the farmers who have been deceived by the Aarooran sugar mills management in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu into a debt trap.
In the assembly, CPM MLA V P Nagai Mali said that the private sugar mill owners obtained loans in the name of farmers and eventually sold the mill to another company. Nagai Mali said, “Aarooran sugar mills obtained 210 crores loan from banks in the names of farmers and sold the sugar mill to another company, now, farmers are unable to raise loans to do cultivation. The state government should step in to protect the farmers.”
“The sugarcane farmers have been protesting for more than 120 days and I have a doubt if the information of farmers’ protest has reached the state government,” Mali added.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi MLA M H Jawahirullah also pointed out the issue. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, school education minister said that being the minister in charge of Thanjavur district, he had held various rounds of talks with both the sugar mill management and the farmers.
He said the government was keen on reconciling the issue to the satisfaction of both parties.
