Start Palwal mill operations by Nov 8 or face stir, warn farmers

Palwal, November 3

Farmers affiliated to the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have warned that they would launch an agitation if the operation of the cooperative sugar mill at Palwal is not started by November 8.

It is claimed that the delay may cause losses to sugarcane growers of the region. SKM spokesperson Mahender Singh Chauhan said the same problem had occurred last season, when the mill began operation in the first week of December due to poor management. He said the farmers bodies would be forced to launch an agitation from November 9, if the authorities fail to start operation by November 8. He said the mill, which was inaugurated on December 2 last year, could start work from December 5 after initial hiccups. So, why it could not be started when the sugar mill at Yamunanagar began operation. Ratan Singh Sorot from the district unit of the BKU said the sugar mill should start operation by the first week of November each year, as the crop becomes ready for harvesting. “We are waiting to start harvesting the crop in about ten acres that stands matured,” says Samundar, a farmer hailing from Aurangabad village in the district. He said as the delay may result in the decrease of weight of the crop, it would lead to loss to the grower. Shashi Vasundhara, MD of the sugar mill, said, “The mill is expected to start operations by November 15. But, the recovery level needs to be at least nine, which was found to be low in the crop samples that were picked up recently.”