The non-party Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association Ermunai youth wing and the coconut farmers of Kundadam block staged a protest near Kundadam bus stand near Dharapuram demanding that coconut oil be supplied to ration shops.
Tirupur: Protesting farmers have demanded that the ration shops should be provided coconut oil as an alternative to palm oil, the ban on stone should be lifted and the price of copra coconut should be fixed at Rs 140.
The non-party Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association on behalf of the Ermunai Youth Wing and the coconut farmers of Kundadam block near Kundadam bus stand near Dharapuram in Tirupur district should distribute the nutrient-rich coconut oil to the public at subsidized rates in lieu of palm oil imported and sold in ration shops. The ban, which is not seen in any other state in India, has been in place in Tamil Nadu for the last 35 years.
The ban on the stone should be removed immediately. The demands include fixing the price of copra coconut at Rs 140 without any conditions.
There was a struggle to break the coconut.
More than 50 non-party farmers' unions and coconut farmers of Kundadam block participated in the protest.
If the Tamil Nadu government fails to fulfil the demands of the coconut growers, they will gherao the Secretariat in Chennai in September and stage a protest against the breaking of coconuts.