Farmers seek previous sugarcane dues

Seeking payment for the previous and current cane crushing season, Sugarcane farmers on Tuesday threatened to launch an agitation if the payment of previous season was not cleared by December 18.

The farmers have decided to hold a Mahapanchayat outside Naraingarh Sugar mills on December 18 to decide the future course of action.

The sugarcane farmers under the banners of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) and Ganna Kisan Sangharsh Samiti held a meeting with the officials of the Naraingarh Sugar Mills Limited and raised their concerns with the mill authorities.

Though Naraingarh Sugar mills is private, it is being run under the supervision of the Haryana Government since 2019.

Sugarcane farmer and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) leader Rajiv Sharma said, “The sugarcane cane crushing season began on November 15. While a payment of around Rs 22 crore of the previous season was pending, of which payment of only over Rs 1 crore has been released, the farmers have already delivered sugarcane worth nearly Rs 20 crore for the current season so far. We have decided to hold a Mahapanchayat on December 18, if the dues of the previous season are cleared by December 18, we will express gratitude and if the dues are not cleared the farmers will take a stern decision.”

“So far, I have delivered nearly 690 quintal sugarcane in this season while there has been no payment. The government and the mills authorities must understand that the farmers also need money to clear their dues, labour charges and prepare fields for the next crop. Due to the delayed payments, a number of farmers are forced to deliver their produce to crushers at cheaper rates. The state government should take some steps for the welfare of the farmers and make sure that the payments are cleared in time”, he added.

Meanwhile, Ganna Kisan Sangharsh Samiti president Vinod Rana, who also attended the meeting, said, “A delegation of sugarcane farmers on Tuesday met the mill authorities to raise the concerns but the officials failed to give any satisfactory reply. They claimed lower sugar prices in the market for the delay and claimed that they would try to clear the dues by December 18. The sugarcane farmers are in no position to wait for long as they also have expenses to bear.”

“The mills is being run under the supervision of the government and still the situation has not improved. Every day, sugarcane worth around Rs 1.5 crore is being delivered at the sugar mills. Chief Minister Haryana Nayab Singh Saini also belongs to Naraingarh and we request him to pay some attention toward the plight of the sugarcane farmers of his home constituency. Every year, the farmers are forced to hold protests to put pressure and get the dues cleared. If the dues of previous season are not cleared by December 18, we will be forced to take a stern decision”, he said.