Tapioca farmers in Salem feel the chill wind of price crash

A massive drop in the price of tapioca, from ₹14,000 per tonne last year to ₹4,500 this season, has left farmers struggling in Salem as they are unable to even cover the production costs.

- SNEHA SIVASHANMUGAM @Salem

Once considered a drought-resistant crop, the drop in tapioca price is now pushing cultivators into crisis mode or forcing them to abandon the crop altogether.

In Salem district, which contributes a major share of the state's tapioca output, farmers say they cannot even take the production cost back unless the price touches at least ₹6,000 per tonne.

"Last year, we managed to sell at ₹12,000-₹14,000, but this year it has dropped drastically. Once a farmer-friendly crop, tapioca has now become risky business," said S Jayaraman, a tapioca farmer and president of the Salem District Farmers Club Federation.

In its 2021 Assembly election manifesto, the DMK assured that a MSP would be fixed for tapioca through. However, farmers say the promise has not been kept.