Farmers Movement Archive

Clear Rs 35 cr cane dues by April 20 or face stir: Farmers

Ambala, March 30Following a continuous delay in payments, sugarcane growers and farm activists under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) held a panchayat outside Naraingarh Sugar Mills on Tuesday and threatened to launch a stir if their dues of Rs 35 crore were not cleared by April 20.Assurance on duesThe payment for sugar sales from the market are likely to be received soon. Post-dated cheques with interest are also being issued to farmers. Efforts are being made to clear the dues on time. — Narender Malik, CEO, Naraingarh sugar millKejri in Jind on Apr 4Hisar: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will attend a ‘kisan mahapanchayat’ in Jind on April 4. AAP leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Sushil Gupta and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, will also address farmers. TNSFarmers claimed that sugarcane dues worth around Rs 105 crore for the ongoing season were pending. There is a sugar stock of around Rs 28 crore.Baldev Singh, BKU mandal president, said “As per the norms, the payment has to be cleared within 14 days of the purchase of sugarcane, but the Naraingarh mill never clears its dues in time. We are being forced to hold repeated meetings and serve ultimatums to get our dues. Now, the mill authorities have now assured us to clear Rs 35 crore dues by April 20. We have also given them an ultimatum that if the dues are not cleared as per the assurance then a mahapanchayat will be held on April 22 after which we will launch a massive stir.”

The Tribune

2021-03-31