Dues: DC’s meeting with sugarcane growers today

BELAGAVI: In the backdrop of chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s warning to sugar mills on Thursday to clear the dues of farmers by June 30, deputy commissioner S B Bommanhalli has called for a meeting with sugarcane farmers at his office on Saturday.
Since the CM has said he would hold DCs responsible if they fail to act against sugar mills that haven’t paid cane growers by seizing sugar stocks from warehouses or forfeiting the mills, all eyes are on Saturday’s meeting.
The issue of dues maintained by sugar mills has turned in to a huge mess as many factories have maintained dues from 2013, the year the State Advisory Price (SAP) Act was introduced in the state.
Sayeda Afrin Banu Ballari, deputy director of food and civil services department told TOI that sugar factories in Belagavi district have arrears up to Rs 628 crore.
According to Bharatiya Krishik Samaj state president Sidagouda Modagi, the figures of dues being given by the district administration was not true because many mills are yet to declare the final price they are paying to farmers this season.
“According to Sugar (Control) Act, sugar factories can’t pay a price less than the fair remunerative price (FRP) fixex by the central government. But most factories in Belagavi district are not even paying FRP. Besides, according to the Act, factories must clear their dues to the farmers within 14 days of crushing of sugarcane. However, not even a single factory is following the rule,” he said.
Farmers miffed
Former sugar commissioner Ajay Nagabhushan had called farmers to submit the documents about their long pending arrears along with an affidavit. Over 470 farmers from Belagavi submitted the affidavits. The sugar commissioner was supposed to conduct a hearing of the affidavits on Friday but not due to an emergency meeting called by the CM in Bengaluru, it was cancelled. DC Bommanhalli too had gone to Bengaluru to attend the meeting.
Angry over the last-minute cancellation of the sugar commissioner’s sitting, farmers who had come from different destinations protested at the DC office.