Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) Chief Coordinator Senthamizhan Seeman has strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department over what he termed as “false and irresponsible statements” that have severely impacted the livelihoods of watermelon farmers across the state.
In a strongly worded statement, Seeman accused Food Safety officials of spreading unverified claims that synthetic chemicals were being mixed into watermelons — allegedly based on complaints from a few foreign tourists. He said this led to widespread panic among the public, resulting in a drastic decline in watermelon sales during the critical summer season.
“It is heartbreaking that watermelon farmers have been severely affected by the decline in sales due to the spread of false information about watermelons by officials of the Food Safety Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu in the name of research,” Seeman wrote.
Poor and small-scale farmers across Tamil Nadu, who rely on seasonal sales of watermelons, ilaneer (tender coconut), padaneer (palm nectar), nungu (ice apple), cucumber, and other natural summer fruits, are reportedly facing mounting losses. With their fresh produce left unsold on roadsides, many farmers are now calling for state intervention.
Seeman criticized the contrast between how local, natural produce is treated versus the market protection offered to expensive, artificially sweetened beverages produced by multinational corporations.
“In our country, the artificial soft drinks produced by multinational corporations, which are harmful to the body and expensive, are kept safe in a refrigerated glass room. However, the tender coconut water, ice apple, watermelons, cucumbers, etc., which our farmers toil in the sun and rain to produce, are still lying on the roadside,” he wrote.
Seeman also raised suspicions of a larger corporate influence behind the officials’ claims, alleging that the slander could be part of a calculated campaign to discredit natural Indian alternatives to commercial soft drinks.
“It is very reasonable for Tamil Nadu farmers to suspect that there is a deliberate conspiracy by multinational soft drink companies behind such slanderous propaganda by government officials,” he said.
The NTK leader emphasized the growing public shift toward natural and healthy alternatives and said that it was the moral responsibility of any progressive government to promote and protect traditional Indian summer produce.
“It is the primary duty of a good government to promote and advertise the sale of natural drinks and fruits that do not cause any harm to the body and are full of healthy nutrients. However, on the contrary, it is a completely unethical act for government officials to spread rumors… causing huge losses to the farmers who grew watermelons,” he said.
Seeman concluded by urging Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the Tamil Nadu government to immediately announce appropriate compensation for farmers affected by the sales crash.
“How is it fair that the government has punished all watermelon farmers in Tamil Nadu instead of identifying and punishing the wrongdoers?” he asked. “I urge that appropriate compensation be provided to the farmers who have suffered huge losses due to the massive decline in watermelon sales due to the false statements made by the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Authorities.”
தமிழ்நாடு உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகளின் பொய்ப்பரப்புரையால் பெரும் நட்டத்திற்கு ஆளாகியுள்ள தர்பூசணி விவசாயிகளுக்கு அரசு உரிய இழப்பீடு வழங்க வேண்டும்!@CMOTamilnadu @mkstalin
தமிழ்நாடு அரசின் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு என்ற பெயரில் தர்பூசணி குறித்த தவறான… pic.twitter.com/91EOPDlDFB
— செந்தமிழன் சீமான் (@Seeman4TN) April 5, 2025
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