Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil has assured of strict action against sugar factories that do not pay sugarcane farmers the fair and remunerative price (FRP) or under weigh their produce.
All factories — private or cooperative — have to follow government regulations about weighing, paying fare wage to labourers and paying arrears to cane suppliers. He was speaking at a meeting of farmers and sugar factory officials at the zilla panchayat hall. Mr. Patil assured of action against factories that are found to have cheated farmers, by under weighing or other ways.
When some farmers pointed out that managing directors of some factories were not present in the meeting, the DC said he would issue them show-cause notices.
He said he would set a deadline for all factories to pay arrears and said that they would be asked to stick to the deadline strictly. “The Union government has already announced the FRP for sugarcane. These have been advertised widely through media. The farmers should note them down and demand it from the procuring factories,’’ the DC said. “If the factories were to deduct cutting and transport prices from the final price of the produce, then it has to be prominently displayed on the factory notice board,” he said.
He asked entrepreneurs to intimate the government and district administration before starting a sugar factory and obtain all necessary permits and licenses. Factories should also regularly inform the government about procurement timetable of cane and the prices paid to factories.
Farmers complained that they were getting only ₹2,500 rupees per tonne of sugarcane, on an average for the last 10 years. However, there is a rise in prices of cost of cultivation and of essential commodities and farmers are not making any profits. They demanded that the price be doubled.
