Belgavi: Kuruburu Shanthkumar, the president of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association, highlighted that numerous sugar mills in the state have overdue cane bills amounting to Rs 700 crore from the last eight months. He demanded that the state government seize these factories and file criminal cases against their owners if they genuinely care about the farmers, reported The Times of India.
Speaking to the media in Belagavi on Tuesday, Kuruburu Shanthkumar said that due to the drought, sugarcane yield has decreased by 30% this year.
He urged the central government to amend the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) compensation criteria for crop damage due to floods and drought. Instead of offering negligible compensation, steps should be taken to provide fair compensation. He called on new parliamentarians to pressure the central government to implement a policy for a complete waiver of crop loans for farmers affected by these disasters.
