Haryana farmers protest over delay in sugarcane payments

KARNAL: Hundreds of farmers on Tuesday held a protest in Karnal for delay in disbursement of pending payments by private and cooperative sugar mills in the state.

Protesting under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), the farmers alleged that the sugarcane payments to the tune of Rs 500 crore were pending with three private and 11 cooperative sugar mills of the state for the past three months. They alleged that neither the mills nor the government were taking the issue seriously after repeated protests by the farmers.

Addressing the gathering, Bhartiya Kisan Union Haryana president Ratan Mann said the price of sugar has now reached to Rs 40 a kg from Rs 27 and the government has also provided Rs 5.5 per quintal compensation to the mills but they were delaying the payments to earn interests, forcing the farmers to borrow money at higher interest rates.

The farmers also alleged that private mills were demanding more financial assistance, but the farmers were being victimised. The protesting farmers threatened to intensify their agitation if their payments arenot cleared by July 23.

The BKU (Chaduni) will also hold a ‘Mahapanchayat’ at Yamunanagar on Wednesday to protest the delay of pending payment of Rs 136 crore by the state’s biggest private sugar mills of Yamunanagar.

The farmer leaders said that they will decide their future strategy in the meeting.