Nawalparasi–The sugarcane farmers of west Nawalparasi, who have been launching agitation every year seeking payment of due amount from the sugar industries, have announced yet another agitation movement over the same issue.
They have announced the agitation and warned of obstructing the East-West highway if the sugar industries did not start making the payment within a week's time.
The sugarcane farmers' action committee president Umesh Chandra Yadav said they would be compelled to block the highway, the main trunk road of the country, if the sugar mills failed to make the payment within a week's time. It is stated that three big sugar mills operating in west Nawalparasi are yet to pay about Rs 700 million to the sugarcane farmers in the current fiscal year.
The committee stated that the sugarcane farmers sold their produce to the sugar mills on credit but the sugar mills have not yet paid the farmers even after the passage of two months since the sugarcane crushing season.
Likewise, the committee said around 100 thousand quintals sugarcane worth Rs 50 million remains unharvested in the fields as the sugar mills started sugarcane crushing one and half months late and closed it in mid-May.
The sugarcane farmers have incurred losses due to this, the committee has argued. Farmers have accused the sugar mills of cheating them of five to 20 percent citing transportation charge. Similarly, the committee has accused the sugar mill operators of extensive irregularities in the subsidy amount provided them by the government.
Chief District Officer Sambhu Prasad Marasini said initiatives are underway for the prompt payment of the farmers' dues. Indira, Bagmati and Lumbini are the three big sugar mills operating in west Nawalparasi district.
The sugarcane production in the district in the current fiscal year was 1.2 million quintals. There are about 13 thousand sugarcane farmers in the district.
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