Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Water Scarcity Threatens 4,000 Acres of Sugarcane in Madurai
Farmers in parts of Madurai are struggling because there is not enough water for their sugarcane fields.
Around 4,000 acres of crops could be damaged.
Many wells have dried up, so farmers are using borewells instead.
However, many farmers have only one or two borewells.
Newly planted sugarcane is already growing more slowly.
Farmers say rain is needed within about three weeks to protect the crops.
They are also worried because the Alanganallur cooperative sugar mill has been closed for a long time.
The farmers plan to walk to the district administration in September to ask for help and for the mill to reopen.
Nearly 4,000 acres of sugarcane in Madurai district face severe irrigation shortages.
About 1,500 acres grow green sugarcane, while the remainder grows purple sugarcane.
Dried irrigation wells have forced farmers to depend heavily on limited borewells.
Farmers fear crops may wither without sufficient rainfall within the next three weeks.
Farmers plan a September walkathon demanding irrigation support and reopening of the cooperative sugar mill.
- Who
- Sugarcane farmers and farmers’ organisations in Madurai district.
- What
- Water scarcity is threatening nearly 4,000 acres of sugarcane, while farmers are also demanding the reopening of the Alanganallur National Cooperative Sugar Mill.
- When
- Farmers say rainfall is needed within the next three weeks and plan a walkathon in the first week of September.
- Where
- Melur, Vadipatti and adjoining areas of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu; the planned walkathon will go from Alanganallur to the Madurai District Collectorate.
- Why
- Irrigation wells have dried up, groundwater levels have declined, and the cooperative sugar mill has remained closed for years.
- Affected cultivation
- Nearly 4,000 acres of sugarcane
- Green sugarcane
- About 1,500 acres
- Main water sources
- Borewells after irrigation wells dried up
- Rainfall concern
- Farmers fear crop damage without adequate rain within three weeks
- Sugar mill
- Alanganallur National Cooperative Sugar Mill has been closed for a prolonged period
- Farmer demand
- Government funding to revive the mill and support cultivators
- Planned protest
- Walkathon from Alanganallur to the Madurai District Collectorate in the first week of September