In Villupuram visited uzhavar santhai. Farmers complained of neglect of the scheme #namakkunaame https://t.co/feTgeigu66

Interacting with vegetable and fruit cultivators at the Uzhavar Sandhai in Villupuram during his Namakku Naame campaign in October 2015, DMK Treasurer M. K. Stalin directly assessed the crisis facing direct agricultural marketing. Farmers gathered to register their deep disappointment over the deliberate administrative neglect suffered by the Uzhavar Sandhai scheme under the AIADMK administration. Originally conceived and launched in 1999 by the DMK government under Chief Minister Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, the landmark farmers' market initiative had revolutionized agricultural commerce by eliminating middlemen, enabling farmers to sell fresh produce directly to urban consumers at fair remunerative prices. However, farmers explained to Stalin that under AIADMK rule, basic amenities including electronic weighing balances, cold storage rooms, waste disposal mechanisms, and drinking water facilities were left in total disrepair. Consequently, middlemen and private traders were gradually reasserting control, depressing farmgate prices and fleecing consumers. Stalin condemned the ruling party's pettiness in neglecting visionary DMK welfare programs, assuring farmers that an incoming DMK government would modernize and expand all Uzhavar Sandhais with state-of-the-art cold storage and digital pricing networks across Tamil Nadu.