The National Farmers Organisation, headed by senior advocate B.P. Sheri of Belagavi, has demanded the State government to announce State Advisory Price (SAP) for sugarcane for 2016-17.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, he said the State government had announced SAP for the sugarcane crushing season 2013-14, but failed to announce for the subsequent years, leading to exploitation of the growers by the sugar mills. Quoting a Supreme Court judgement, he said that in the event of the government failing to announce SAP for any given year(s), the SAP announced for the preceding year shall prevail till the government announced revised SAP.
While the government was willing to honour this apex court’s judgement, the various farmers organisations were unaware of it, he said.
Mr. Sheri said the Supreme Court in a case had directed the sugar mills to pay additional price of Rs.160 per tonne of sugarcane along with interest to the growers for the year 2003-04 (rpt 2003-04) within three months from the date of the court order dated Mar.3, 2016. Yet, the order was not being honoured by the mills and the State government was also silent on the issue.
Memorandum
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Krishik Samaj (Samyukt) activists led by State president Sidgouda Modgi submitted a memorandum to Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimappa during latter’s visit to the city and urged to decentralise the system of issuing various certificates and documents and make them available through the gram panchayats.
He said as almost all the GPs had been equipped with computer systems and internet connections, there should be no problem in issuing these certificates through GPs. Presently, these documents were being issued at Hobli Centres, some of which were far away from villages. The benefits of technological developments should reach grass roots level, he said.
