Sugarcane farmers agitated for not getting due payment

Parasi: The sugarcane farmers here have been agitated after the Lumbini Sugar Mill of Sunwal in West Nawalparasi made low payment against the price fixed by the government.

The sugarcane producers have demanded the immediate resumption of sugar mill and the payment as per the sugarcane price fixed by the government.

The government had fixed the price at Rs 536.56 per quintal sugarcane for the fiscal year 2075/2076. Out of this, the sugar mill is bound to provide Rs 471.28 per quintal while the government provides Rs 65. 28 per quintal as grant.

However, Lumbini Sugar Mill paid only Rs 385 per quintal, complained Gyan Chandra Yadav. The mill even threatened that if the farmers did not receive the payment, further dues would not the cleared.

The farmers who did not get proper price for their produce have been worried over the management of the sugarcane now. Currently, there is 80,000 quintal of sugarcane at mill gate. The mill management has said it would not resume the mill, adding worries to the farmers, said another Arjun Chaudhary from Ramgram-17.

“I’ve still the last year due for 2200 quintals of sugarcane. And this year too, the mill said it does not operate again. Now, how can we manage the sugarcane,” he shared the plight.

Ram Bhawan Yadav from Parasi warned of stir if the mill did not pay heed to the farmers’ demand.

Meanwhile, Chief District Officer in West Nawalparasi, Shambhu Prasad Marasini, informed that efforts were on to solve farmers’ problems.

“Although we are trying to address farmers’ demands, additional initiatives from the ministries of agriculture and industries were required. For it, coordination is underway,” he added.