CHANDIGARH: The SAD asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to release Rs 331 crore owed to sugarcane growers by state cooperative sugar mills.
SAD Kisan Wing president Sikander Singh Maluka said the delay in releasing the dues of sugarcane farmers would create a crisis as they are already reeling under debt. Any further delay in releasing the dues will further add to their debts, he said. It will also affect efforts to make farmers take to sugarcane by diverting from the wheat –paddy cycle, he added.
Maluka said private sugar mills should also be taken to task for failing to clear the dues of farmers. He said as per estimates, private mills owed farmers Rs 343 crore and a directive should be issued to both cooperative and private sugar mills to clear the backlog of farmers along with the interest quotient. tnn
