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Pune: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti has threatened to launch an agitation for pending arrears of Sugarcane cultivators from sugar mills.
Shetti met sugar commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad on Monday and demanded that the government should initiate action against sugar mills under RRC for failing to pay FRP to farmers.
“The government authorities had not paid attention to the mills during the election campaign. We have asked the authorities about the actions taken by them against the mills who failed to pay FRP to farmers. We will continue our agitation till mills do not clear pending arrears. We will also move to the court. The millers should immediately pay farmers’ pending dues,” he said.
“Out of 190 sugar mills in the state, only 43 have not paid FRP which amounts to Rs 3,607 crore,” said Gaikwad.
The rule mandates that cane amount should be deposited to the farmers’ bank accounts within 14 days after the sugarcane harvest is handed over to the factory owners, but millers failed to do so.
“When millers stated that they are unable to pay FRP due to the financial crisis, we agreed over two instalments of 80 per cent and 20 per cent. But millers are yet to pay the second instalment,” said Shetti.
Shetti had launched an agitation in front of Sugar commissionerate in January and acting on it the commissioner issued notices to 39 millers under RRC.
