Kalaburagi: Sugarcane farmers and members of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) have urged the Deputy Commissioner to intervene and ensure the release of ₹29 crore in dues owed to them by sugar mills in Afzalpur taluk, reports The Hindu.
Addressing the media on Friday, KPRS district president Sharanabasappa Mamshetty highlighted the financial plight of the farmers. KPR Sugars owes ₹17.82 crore for crushing 11 lakh tonnes of sugarcane supplied by 25,000 farmers. Similarly, Renuka Sugars needs to clear ₹11.2 crore in dues to 23,000 farmers.
Mamshetty pointed out that Renuka Sugars has been paying ₹2,550 per tonne against the Fair Remunerative Price (FRP) of ₹3,282 per tonne. Furthermore, the factory has deducted ₹732 for harvesting and transportation (H&T) charges instead of the fixed ₹572.
He warned that KPRS members and sugarcane growers from Afzalpur taluk would stage a ‘rasta roko’ protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on August 8 if the district administration fails to take action against the sugar factories and direct them to pay the farmers their dues promptly.
