By Our Correspondent
Sarlahi, Feb. 10: Indushankar Sugar Mill in Hariban, northern area of Sarlahi, has been paying the sugarcane farmers regularly.
The sugarcane farmers have been bound to walk to the capital to protest demanding that the government should ensure their payments from the sugar mills. At such time, Indushankar Mill is paying all its dues in time.
The mill came in operation since December 21 last year and has bought around 1.5 million quintals of sugar from the farmers until January 28.
According to the officials at the mill, they have already paid Rs. 390 million to the farmers.
“Through the recently released schedule, the company aims to pay Rs. 140 million dues of the farmers from who the sugarcanes were collected recently,” said Thakur Nepal, chief administrative officer at Indushankar Sugar Mill.
According to Nepal, since the government has not issued a new rate for sugarcane, they are providing money to the farmers on the basis of the earlier year’s rate. “If the rate is to be changed, we will tally it and provide remaining amount to the farmers at the earliest.”
The government has set Rs. 536/56 as the price for one quintal of sugarcane bought from the farmers among which Rs. 471/28 is paid by the respective sugar mill and the remaining Rs. 65/28 by the government. The government provides the amount as a grant to the farmers.
The farmers have urged all the sugar mills to abide by their responsibilities and pay the amount of the collected sugarcane at the earliest so that they did not have to launch any struggle.