Sugarcane farmers not paid arrears by mills. Silk weavers demanding promised silk park in Arani #namakkunaame https://t.co/DcgUAQabni

Touring the northern agricultural and handloom hub of Arani during his Namakku Naame yatra in October 2015, DMK Treasurer M. K. Stalin championed the twin grievances of sugarcane cultivators and silk weaving communities. Interacting with agrarian delegations, Stalin condemned the state government's gross neglect of sugarcane farmers, who had not received statutory payment arrears amounting to hundreds of crores from private and cooperative sugar mills. Facing mounting debts and exorbitant interest rates, farming families were pushed to the brink of bankruptcy while the administration took zero enforcement action against errant mill managements. Simultaneously, Stalin met with traditional handloom weavers renowned for producing iconic Arani silk saris. The weaving community expressed deep disillusionment over the complete stalling of the promised mega silk handloom park, which was meant to provide modernized jacquard dyeing facilities, raw silk subsidies, and direct export channels. Stalin pledged that a future DMK administration would forcefully compel sugar mills to disburse all pending cane arrears with interest, establish the dedicated Arani Silk Park, and implement protective welfare schemes for artisan weavers and rural agricultural workers across the northern agrarian heartland.