Premalatha Vijayakanth demands compensation of ₹10,000 per acre for mango growers

DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth led a protest in support of mango growers in Krishnagiri on Monday, demanding remunerative prices for mangoes and compensation to ameliorate the current price slump.

Speaking at the protest, Ms. Premalatha Vijayakanth highlighted the loss faced by mango farmers with the current price slump eroding their morale.

“Mangoes, jackfruit and bananas have a pride of place in the horticultural landscape of the State. However, the two seasonal fruits of mangoes and jackfruits are grappling with the price slump hurting the farmers,” the DMDK leader said.

Highlighting her own farming background, Ms.Premalatha said, the cost borne by a mango farmer per acre was ₹41,000, that included ₹30,000 for pesticides, ₹6,000 towards harvest costs per acre and ₹5,000 towards transport costs. However, the going price of mangoes was ₹3,000 per tonne. “This entailed farmers barely making ₹18,000 per acre as revenue as against an expenditure of ₹41,000 per acre. These costs were higher for farmers cultivating on leased lands,” Ms. Premalatha said.

Overall, farmers were faced with losses of ₹21,000 per acre, the DMDK added. She called upon the government to release a compensation of ₹10,000 per acre, which would barely cover the losses. Earlier, Ms. Premalatha slammed both the State and the Union government alleging for absence of action to address the prevailing farmers grievances. The protests witnessed effigies of farmers hanging, along with dumping of mangoes highlighting the prevailing woes of growers.