Kolhapur: Out of 183 sugar mills that have taken part in the sugarcane crushing in the current season, only 79 mills have cleared the full cane dues of the cane farmers till February-end as per the fair and remunerative price (FRP).
As per a news report published in The Times of India, according to the state sugar commissionerate, as per the FRP, the 183 sugar mills have crushed cane worth Rs 16,275 crore till February end and the 79 sugar mills have paid Rs 13,917 crore. The remaining mills are yet to pay Rs 2,367 crore to the cane farmers.
The mills are clearing dues despite they are under financial stress. The cane dues till February 15 were around Rs 2,535 crore that have come down to Rs 2,367 crore by February end.
As per the data, by the end of the month 38 sugar mills had paid 80-99% of the cane bills. The 36 sugar mills have paid 60-79% of the cane dues and the 39 sugar mills have paid less than 60% of the dues to the cane farmers.
