Tamil Nadu

Endeavours pay sweet dividends

PUDUKOTTAI: Endeavours by the District Supply and Marketing Society and the Pudukottai Urban Co-operative Stores here to market sugarcane at a fair price , a much sought-after commodity during the ‘Pongal’ festival, have paid adequate dividends.

Women members of a couple of self-help groups formed by the society, have invested Rs.45,000 and brought the cane from Arasamalai and Karaiyur, both near Ponnamaravathy and market it at Rajagopalapuram, a densely-populated residential area here.

The stores made the direct procurement of cane at a distant village of Tirukkattupalli on the border of Thanjavur district and marketed it on the stores premises, the Raja Rani South IV street, besides 25 ration shops being run by it. The difference in the price per bundle of ten canes each, being marketed by these agencies, was about Rs. 40 - 60 less than the one marketed by other dealers.

With the demand for the cane to rise either by late evening on Tuesday or in the morning of the ‘Pongal’ festival on Wednesday, the customers would benefit in a big way, according to official sources. The Secretary of the society, S. Sathyaseelan, who inaugurated the cane sale at Rajagopalapuram, pointed out that the women members were confident of attractive returns. This was the second year in succession that the society encouraged the women SHGs to market the cane.

The Special Officer of the Stores, T. Pandithurai, said that he had effected advance payment to the cane-growers of Tirukkattupalli about three months ago, fixing the price per bundle at Rs. 55. He had sold out a good part of the stock of about 650 bundles, weighing about 12 tonnes. The price at the village had soared on Tuesday morning when he wanted to procure an additional stock.

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