The Bharat Krishik Sangh has announced a protest in front of the residence of Satish L. Jarkiholi, Minister for Small Scale Industries and district in-charge, here on Monday to pressure the State government to take a bold decision to ensure the payment of sugarcane dues for 2013-14.
The other demands of farmers are fixing the sugarcane price for the crushing year 2014-15, amendments to Sections 2, 4 and 9 of the Karnataka Sugarcane (Regulation of Purchase and Supply) Act, 2013, to plug loopholes, BKS State president Mallikarjun Jakati said here on Friday.
The government had not fixed the sugarcane prices so far, although crushing operations had concluded for 2014-15 and only four months are left for commencement of the next crushing season, he said. He said that all the farmers’ associations have appealed to farmers and agricultural labourers to participate.
Dues
Meanwhile, at a press conference convened here, Karnataka Kabbu Belegarara Sangha president Kurubar Shanthaku said that the dues from various sugar mills in the State was Rs. 4,600 crore for 2013-14 and Rs. 3,600 crore for 2014-15.
He ridiculed the announcement of soft loans, amounting to Rs. 6,000 crore, for the sugarcane growers. “This is too less considering the fact that whatever the amount the farmer would get as soft loan would be hardly good enough to pay interest on his outstanding loans with banks and private lenders,” he added.
Farmers to urge government to fix
sugarcane prices for 2014-15
‘Sugar mills owe growers Rs. 3,600 crore
for 2014-15’
