Delta farmers, who appear to be less than happy with the recent announcement of special incentives for sugar and paddy, have suggested that the sugar mills be asked to partake the financial burden of the State government in ensuring a fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane.Responding to the announcement, G. Srinivasan of Ganapathi Agraharam, a progressive farmer, and Sundara Vimalanathan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Protection Association (TNCDFPA), have pointed out that the sugar mills earn additional revenue through the sale of by-products of sugar such as molasses and ethanol.Hence, the mill management could be directed to pay an additional amount of ₹500 per tonne to the cultivators over and above the FRP of ₹4,000 per tonne, which includes ₹709.50 per tonne offered as iincentive by the Tamil Nadu government. It will result in the fulfilment of a long-pending demand for an FRP for sugarcane commensurate to the increasing input costs.While Mr. Sundara Vimalanathan has exhorted the State government to do away with the practice of classifying paddy as ‘fine’ and ‘ordinary’ and offer a minimum support price of ₹3,100 per quintal like the MSP offered to paddy cultivators in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Mr. Srinivasan has said the delta farmers, in a new trend, are looking to take up timber crops such as casuarina and teak cultivation due to water scarcity and El-Nino effect.Mr. Srinivasan has urged the State government to enhance the MSP for paddy and take steps to ensure the availability of water for cultivation, so that delta farmers can continue with traditional crop cultivation in the region. Published - August 11, 2026 05:45 pm IST