The Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers’ Association has demanded that the Tamil Nadu government take immediate steps to ensure that ₹1,854 crore dues to the sugarcane farmers are settled with interest.
In a statement, T. Ravindran, general secretary of the association, said the State government was responsible for this situation, where sugarcane farmers had to wait for their dues and were struggling to pay back their loans.
While the association welcomed the filing of criminal charges and arrest of the owner of Ambika Arooran Sugar Mills for non-payment of dues, it was important for the government to step in and get the dues settled, he said.
“Apart from this, sugar mills have also been cheating on the profit-sharing formula. Between 2004 and 2009, they should have shared ₹240 crore with the farmers. The association went to court and won the case and the court said the profit share had to be disbursed by February 13, 2019. But despite giving representation to the State government to ensure the court direction is complied with, no action has been taken so far,” he added.
