By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 26: The government has fixed the minimum retail price of sugarcane of Rs. 536.56 per quintal for the current fiscal year.
The cabinet meeting has approved the minimum farm gate price of sugarcane tabled by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies for approval.
Government spokesperson and Minister of Communication of Information Technology Gokul Baskota said during its weekly press briefing that government fixed the minimum retail price of sugarcane based on the cost of production, transportation, profit and subsidy provided by the government to the sugarcane farmers.
The price includes a government subsidy of Rs. 65.28 per quintal paid to sugarcane farmers.
Spokesman at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Hari Bahadur KC said that the Ministry has recommended the minimum price of sugar analysing the cost of production and others variables.
“We proposed the same price of sugarcane this year as per last year as the team of Department of Agriculture has found that there was not increase the cost of production of sugarcane of farmers,” he said.
The team had visited field to find out the cost of production, he said.
There was no need to increase the minimum price of sugarcane every year, he said, adding that government fixed the price based on the procedures with holding consultation of concerned authorities, including farmers and sugarcane mills.