Amritsar: Farmers in Bhala Pind have raised concerns over the slow pace of sugarcane crushing at the Ajnala Cooperative Sugar Mill and staged a protest against the mill’s management. The farmers, who are contracted to supply sugarcane to the mill, claimed that while the facility can process 25,000 quintals of sugarcane daily, it is currently crushing only 15,000 quintals, reported The Tribune.
A delegation of farmers, led by Dr. Satnam Singh Ajnala, a leader of the Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, and Gurnam Singh Saidogaji, a prominent sugarcane growers’ leader, met with Subhash Chander, the general manager of the mill, to address the issue. However, the discussion reportedly turned into a heated argument, escalating tensions between the farmers and the management. During the protest, the farmers also chanted slogans against the mill’s administration.
Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala highlighted that the mill, which was supposed to begin operations on October 15, only started processing sugarcane in the last week of December. Over the past two months, the mill has been functioning well below its capacity, crushing just 15,000 quintals per day instead of the full 25,000 quintals. In response, General Manager Subhash Chander assured the delegation that despite much of the mill’s machinery being old, it still had enough capacity to handle the farmers’ needs.
Dr Ajnala emphasised, “The mill management must honour its commitments and ensure that the entire sugarcane crop is processed. Farmers are stuck because they cannot switch to other crops like maise while their sugarcane remains unharvested. Some farmers are even forced to transport their produce to a private mill in Mehta, which is costing them a lot in transportation. Additionally, the mill’s surveyors are not doing their jobs properly, and this mismanagement is a major reason for the delays in crushing.”
