Belgavi (Karnataka): Sugar mills instructed to pay remunerative sugarcane price and not to start sugarcane crushing before November 1
Sugar factories in Belagavi were instructed to ensure transparent and fair management
Belgavi: The district administration in Belagavi, Karnataka, has instructed sugar mills to ensure transparent and fair management of their units. This comes after receiving complaints from farmers that they are being cheated during the weighing and measuring of their produce, reported The Hindu.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil warned the factories of strict legal action if they fail to follow the rules. He also instructed them not to start crushing operations before November 1 to ensure proper growth of the crop and uniformity in the timetable for crushing operations.
Patil asked mills to consider paying more than the fair and remunerative price to farmers as they are suffering from a drought. He also instructed officials to monitor the weighing and recovery processes in each mill using advanced machines and to ensure that they are carried out transparently and scientifically.
Farmers were asked to complain to the Deputy Commissioner’s office if they face injustice at the hands of sugar mills. In case of errors in weighing and recovery calculation, officials from the Department of Weights and Measures will inspect in the presence of the e complainants.
The government will make available to farmers copies of FRP prices set up for all mills. Patil also suggested that farmers’ groups or associations set up weigh bridges by seeking government assistance. As per the rules, factories should not refuse sugarcane from farmers who have their produce weighed outside the factory premises.
Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled asked officials to inspect the weighing machines at the factories and to take action against factories that refuse to accept independently weighed sugarcane.
