Millers taking revenge of defeat in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, allege farmers' organisation

PUNE: Farmers' organisations from Maharashtra have intensified agitations over cane price payment alleging that the sugar mills dominated by Congress and Nationalist Congress Parties in the state have been deliberately delaying cane payment to take revenge of their defeat in Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

The Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan (SSS) has stopped transport of sugarcane in Kolhapur district and called for a 'chakkajam' in Sangli district tomorrow as the millers have not yet paid cane price to which they had agreed. Sadabhau Khot, leader of SSS said, "Millers have been deliberately delaying cane payment. During the Congress-NCP government, millers used to accept the cane price formulae brokered by the then ministers. Now, they are not ready to accept a solution that was suggested by the state's chief minister."

Kolhapur and Sangli districts are known as sugar bowl of the state due to their high sugar recovery and these areas are also the base of work and politics of SSS.

In a meeting of all the stake holders of the sugar industry, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, millers had agreed to pay 80% of the cane's fair and remunerative price (FRP) as the first installment of cane payment. However, even two months after starting of the sugarcane crushing operations, a negligible number of sugar mills have made cane payments so far. And those who have made payments, have paid less than the agreed price.

Khot said that Dalmia Sugar, a private sugar mill has given in writing that it will pay the first installment as per the agreement. "If Dalmia can pay it then why can't other mills," asked Khot.