Aragalur

IOB in the list

IOB Web Site

Branch Code: 999 FAX:      --- Address: DOOR NO: 4 / 23 BAZAAR STREET ARAGALUR SALEM PIN: 636101 TAMILNADU Phone: GEN  ( 04282 ) 260271 Email:      --- GRAMS: OVERSEAS Telex:      --- Holiday: SUNDAY Timing:   10.00 a.m. - 05.00 p.m. NB Day: THURSDAY

0 comments

`Increase import duty on starch'

The Hindu
Sunday, Jun 20, 2004
`Increase import duty on starch'

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, JUNE 19 . Issues such as inadequate rainfall, improper distribution of drought relief for crop loss, demand for new check dams and plea to impose heavier import duty on starch from Thailand to save tapioca farmers were discussed threadbare in the farmers' grievances day meeting here on Friday.

The farmers said that though the rain was good elsewhere in the State, the district had not received adequate rain so far. The administration should prepare contingency plans to tide over the drought situation if there was any, they pointed out. President of the United Agricultural Association, Tamil Nadu, C. Vaiyapuri, claimed that the import of starch from Thailand had nearly nullified the sago industries in Salem district.

He asked the Collector, A. Sukumaran, who presided over the meeting, to take up the matter with the Government. He and other farmers further claimed that low import duty on starch from Thailand had flooded the Indian market, and demanded that the Union Government increase import duty to save the sago industry. They also expressed their anguish over the failure of industry people to honour the decisions taken at the recent tripartite meeting on tapioca procurement.

Mr. Vaiyapuri also said that farmers' markets (uzhavar santhai) were established to eliminate middlemen and to encourage a direct sale between the growers and consumers, but they had now had fallen into the hands of vendors and middlemen, defeating the very purpose of its establishment.

Private vendors took possession of these markets and had started dictating terms to consumers. For the welfare of the people, the functioning of these markets should be restored to its original system.

He also alleged that illegal miners quarried sand from the riverbeds in Attur block, and demanded that the practice be stopped immediately. Krishnamurthy, a farmers' representative said that many tribal students of Yercaud could not pursue higher education due to the non-issuance of community certificates. Farmer K.P. Kalyanasundaram demanded adequate stock of life-saving medicines in all veterinary clinics in the district. Many of these clinics, he alleged, did not have proper medicines for cattle, and cattle owners were asked to buy medicine from outside. A few other farmers also urged the Government to permit them to tap toddy from coconut and palmyra trees to boost their income.

They also urged the district administration to provide adequate drought compensation to coconut and other crops immediately. G. N. Periyaswamy, president of Tamil Nadu Tapioca Producers' Association demanded money for deepening borewells and wells. The Collector Sukumaran said that he would look into their grievances.

0 comments

Demand for flower market

The Hindu
Saturday, Sep 18, 2004
Demand for flower market

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, SEPT. 17. The district administration should establish a flower market near the Bose Maiden in the city on the lines of farmers' shandies, the president, United Farmers Association, C. Vaiyapuri, said.

At the farmers' grievances day meeting here today, the association president asked the Agricultural Marketing Committee to take over the land from the Salem Corporation for the purpose.

The market would help hundreds of flower producers in Salem directly market their produce. This would eliminate middlemen in the trade effectively, he pointed out.

`Distribute rice'

Mr. Vaiyapuri also asked the district administration not to store the rice meant for distribution to workers under the `Food for Work' scheme. It should be immediately distributed while the works under the scheme were on.

He charged that for the past 12 months, the rice component under the Food for Work scheme was not distributed in the district to the workers.

If the rice is immediately distributed, the situation as the one that arose in Tuticorin could be avoided. He also urged the administration to take up drought relief works immediately.

Chilling plant

The president of the Sugarcane Growers Association, S. Govindarajan, demanded that an additional chilling plant be established for the benefit of milk producers in and around Attur.

The capacity of the existing plant was not adequate and hence the producers were facing problems in storing milk, he said and added that the district administration should form a tripartite committee of milk producers, officials and buyers to sort out the problems, which the milk industry was facing. The issue of procurement price was also unresolved, he pointed out.

The District Revenue Officer, T.P. Rajesh, who presided over the meeting, said that the issues pertaining to agriculture were given utmost priority in the district.

The rice under the Food for Work scheme would be immediately distributed, he said.

Greenery project

A massive `Green the Salem' project would be taken up in Salem town, he added.

The Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency, T.K.S. Manimanthiri, and other senior officials took part in the meeting.

0 comments

Veeranam tank under constant surveillance

The Hindu
Monday, Nov 08, 2004

Veeranam tank under constant surveillance

By Our Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE, NOV. 7. The Veeranam tank is under constant surveillance after the damage caused to crops and property by heavy and sudden discharge from the tank recently.

The Cuddalore Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, directed the Superintending Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) to camp at the Lalpet guesthouse on the southern side of the tank to constantly monitor the inflow and the outflow.

He asked PWD officials to maintain the level at 45 feet (maximum level of 45.5 ft), and regulate the outflow.

In a statement here, Mr. Bedi said the inflow on Saturday was 3,000 cusecs and the outflow to the Sethiathope dam 1,934 cusecs, the Vilangiyan Odai 1,060 cusecs and for Chennai 76 cusecs.

Marooned

He said of 901 villages in the district, 287 were marooned.

As many as 434 tenements were fully damaged and 4,724 partially damaged

The recent rain caused extensive damage to 121 km of highways and 518 km of interior roads.

`Strengthen bunds'

The State president of the United Farmers' Association, C.Vaiyapuri, has appealed to the Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, Chennai, to check the strength of the bunds of the Periyeri checkdam across the Vasishta river.

In a statement today, Mr. Vaiyapuri said that the Periyeri checkdam, built in 2002 in Aragalur village (on the Salem— Villupuram border), received floods for the first time.

It emerged as an important feeder canal for 27 irrigation tanks in Villupuram and Cuddalore districts.

The best way to check the bunds' strength was to discharge water from the Kariakoil reservoir, he said.

0 comments

Government urged to save tapioca industry

The Hindu - Monday, Dec 06, 2004
Government urged to save tapioca industry

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, DEC. 5. The tapioca growers and sago industrialists have urged the Tamil Nadu Government to participate in the public hearing on the Safe Guard duty on starch and modified starch (MS) being organised by the Office of Director-General of Safe Guard in New Delhi on Decmber 6.

This would save the domestic sago and starch industry, which has suffered because of heavy imports from Thailand.

The farmers and industrialists in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where this agro-based industry thrives, claim that they are facing "sure death" against the heavy imports of sago and starch products being imported from Thailand with a low price tag, particularly after the World Trade Organisation agreement on free trade.

They have been clamouring for increase in the import duty on the starch imports to save the domestic industry and its farmers.

The imports have increased from 1,000 tonnes in 2001 to a staggering 7,000 tonnes in 2003. As a result, nearly 300 sago and starch units in Tamil Nadu have been closed. "The remaining 450 units are facing a bleak future and hence something has to be done to save them from total annihilation," said the United Farmers' Association-Tamil Nadu, president, C. Vaiyapuri.

The industry was undergoing a crisis, throwing lakhs of farm workers and growers out of employment for nearly two years now, Mr. Vaiyapuri, who is leading a team of tapioca farmers to the Delhi meeting, told the The Hindu .

Recurrent drought

Recurrent drought had added to their woes. "After a strong lobbying, we were able to increase the import duty from 30 per cent to 50 per cent. But the continuance of heavy imports from Thailand has upset our efforts. The entire industry is in the doldrums now," he said.

The farmers were unhappy over the State Government's silence. Barring a few half-hearted attempts by the Salem district administration, no effective measure to save the industry had so far been initiated. The "Sagoserve," the society of the farmers, industrialists and traders, had its own limitations.

The Government was yet to withdraw the State Agriculture Marketing Cess on tapioca, a tuber-bearing plant that decayed in 24 hours. "The State should send an expert team to present the industry's plight before the public hearing strongly," said Mr. Vaiyapuri. The Central Government should remove tapioca starch and sago from the list of Open General License and include them in the list of Restricted List. The Safe Guard duty should be increased to 150 per cent.

The farmers said that the WTO had pointed out that the Safe Guard duty could be permitted temporarily when the domestic industry suffered because of increase in imports and needed some time to adjust itself.

0 comments