Kolhapur: Sugarcane farmers from Kolhapur are facing problems of shortage of cane harvesters and are being cheated by the agents that are taking advance payments to provide cane harvesters and not showing up. Several incidents have been reported in the district in which farmers have paid advance money to the agents to get cane harvesters but the agents have not shown up, nor the cane harvesters. Kolhapur MLA Ruturaj Patil has taken up the issue and has demanded the police to take action against the agents that are cheating cane farmers.
“Thousands of cane harvesters from Marathwada and Vidarbha come to Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts for cane harvesting during cane crushing season. They work through the agents that take advance before supplying the cane harvesters. Recently the farmers have complained that the agents have taken advance from them but have not provided any group of harvesters. The farmers have been cheated as neither the harvesters nor the agents have shown up during crushing season,” he said.
A delegation of sugarcane farmers, transporters and others under leadership of MLA Patil met superintendent of police Shailesh Balkawade and urged him to take action against such agents.
