The former MLA B.R. Patil has criticised the State government for not constituting a committee for fixing State Advisory Price (SAP) and also accused sugar factories of not declaring Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) fixed by the Union government for sugarcane.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Patil said that though the Union government has fixed a different ex-gate FRP for all sugar factories in the State, the factories have failed to notify the sugarcane farmers about it. The sugar factories have begun accepting produce, but most of them have not informed the farmers the price fixed for their produce.
The committee for fixing SAP, which is presided over by the Sugar Minister, has not been constituted in the last three years; this clearly shows that the government is hand in glove with the sugar factories, Mr. Patil said.
He urged the Centre to increase the percentage of ethanol blending from 20 to 50 in petroleum fuels. Mr. Patil said that the sugar mills have violated the recommendations made by the C. Rangarajan committee which suggested a revenue-sharing model for farmers, wherein sugar factories have to distribute 70 % of realisation on sugar and by-products to farmers. The farmers are entitled to a 70 % share in the value of sugar and its by-products, he said.
Mr. Patil also urged the Centre to bring sugarcane crop under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
“The representatives from the district and sugarcane growers will call on Minister for Labour and Sugar Shivaram Hebbar during his visit to Kalaburagi district in the first week of December and set a deadline of a week for constituting the committee to fix SAP. We will intensify our agitation if the government failed to address the problems of sugarcane growers,” he added.
Though the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner had, in a joint meeting with sugar factory representatives and sugarcane growers last week, directed the factories to clear payments within 15 days after supply of sugarcane, none of the farmers have been paid for their sugarcane procured so far, he said and demanded that sugar factories pay an interest of 15 % on delayed payment of sugarcane dues.
Afzalpur MLA M.Y. Patil and Aland taluk president of the Sugarcane Growers Association Dharmraj Sahu were present.
