By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 21: Talks between the government and the agitating sugarcane farmers could not reach any agreement on Sunday.
The meeting held at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies ended inconclusively, said Rakesh Mishra, coordinator of the sugarcane farmer’ struggle committee.
Sugarcane farmers from the Terai have been protesting in Kathmandu for the past eight days demanding payment of old dues from the sugar mills.
Secretaries of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Baikuntha Aryal and Chandra Kumar Ghimire led the meeting.
The meeting concluded deciding to continue the talks on Monday, he said.
However, the agitation will continue, said Mishra.
The ministry has agreed to form a task force comprising farmers' representatives and those from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Ministry of Home Affairs to solve the payment problem permanently, he said.
During the meeting, the government side requested the agitating farmers to postpone the protest for a few days and give time for the sugar mills to clear their dues, he said.
“We requested the government to exert pressure on the sugar mills to publish the payment schedule of half of the dues based on the government statistics. As per the government statistic, the amount to be paid by the mills is Rs. 170 million,” he said.
However, the sugarcane farmers claimed above Rs. 300 million from the sugar mills.
He said that they demanded the government to form a committee to study about actual dues to be paid by the sugar industries.
"No matter what happens, we will not return home without receiving payment," he said. "The government has called for talks. Payments have started. But until all the payments are made, we will be in Kathmandu,” Mishra told The Rising Nepal.
The ministry had sent letters to the agitators twice asking them to sit for talks.
Even after receiving the letter, they were not ready for talks. Even Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatt reached the agitation site and requested them for talks. However, they were not ready.
The ministry had sent the third letter today.
Meanwhile, Annapurna mill in Sarlahi and Indira Sugar Mill in Nawalparasi have started paying the dues of the farmers.
In a statement issued by both the mills, the mill said it would pay Rs. 10 million daily.
Issuing a press statement, Shri Ram Sugar Mill of Rautahat said it has started to pay the dues of the sugarcane farmers.