கரும்பு விவசாயிகள் வாழ்வில் வளம் பெறவும், கிராமங்களில் சிறு தொழிலாக செய்யப்படும் வெல்ல உற்பத்தி மேம்படவும், இந்த வருடம் பொங்கல் பரிசாக தமிழக அரசு...

DMK working president M.K. Stalin appealed to the Tamil Nadu state government on December 30, 2017, demanding that natural jaggery be included instead of refined white sugar in the official Pongal festival gift hampers distributed to ration cardholders. Stalin pointed out that during previous DMK administrations under Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, authentic country jaggery was traditionally distributed to celebrate the Tamil harvest festival, simultaneously uplifting rural cottage industries and providing direct market support to indigenous sugarcane cultivators.

Stalin emphasized that rural jaggery-making units operate as small cottage industries sustaining thousands of artisanal workers and farm laborers across agricultural districts. Substituting factory-refined sugar with local jaggery in the statewide public distribution system would create substantial commercial demand, ensuring fair remunerative prices for distressed sugarcane farmers who were battling severe crop losses and payment arrears from sugar mills.

The DMK leader urged the administration to rectify the omission immediately and procure farm-fresh jaggery directly from local producers for the festive distribution. Stalin affirmed that the DMK will persistently champion agricultural policies that prioritize rural cottage enterprises and protect agrarian livelihoods. He called for immediate implementation before the festival.