Farmers upset over ‘slow purchase’ of sugarcane at Dhuri

Sushil Goyal

Sangrur, January 17

Sugarcane growers in the Dhuri area are facing a tough time due to ‘slow purchase’ of their crop during the current season. According to information, Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill, Dhuri, is not operational and so has not been crushing sugarcane.

However, the mill’s management has been transporting the sugarcane produce to its other mill at Mukerian after purchasing it from the growers in the Dhuri area. Sugarcane growers have also been waiting for their last season’s payment totalling Rs 6 crore.

As per farmer leaders, earlier the pending amount towards the mill was about Rs 14 crore for the last season.

A meeting of farmer organisations and state government officials will be held tomorrow in Chandigarh where these issues are likely to be discussed.

Harjeet Singh Bugra, convener, Ganna Kashatkar Sanghrash Committee, Dhuri, said sugarcane growers in the area are in trouble as around 50 per cent of their sugarcane produce is still standing in the fields.

He said the mill management had earlier promised them to issue 10 slips daily to farmers for the purchase of sugarcane, but now the mill authorities have been issuing only five slips daily for the past six-seven days. The farmer leader said in such circumstances, the sugarcane growers are forced to sell their produce in Haryana or at other places.

Arun Sharma, general manager (cane), Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill, Dhuri, said they are purchasing 1,000 quintals of sugarcane daily from farmers and sending the produce to their other unit at Mukerian as Bhagwanpura Sugar Mill is not functioning this season. He said earlier the mill authorities were issuing instructions to load 100 quintals of sugarcane in a tractor-trolley, but farmers started loading about 200 quintals in a tractor-trolley. In view of this, they have reduced the number of slips , he added.