Pune: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and former MP Raju Shetti, who had announced to launch indefinite protest outside the Sahyadri Cooperative sugar mill, Satara, was prevented by the police from going to the Sahyadri Cooperative Sugar mill.
Satara police stopped him on the Pune-Bengaluru Highway and took him to the government rest house, Karad where the government’s representatives discussed the issue with him.
Shetti before the starting of cane crushing season had announced that the mills won’t be allowed to start operations till they agree to pay one time FRP in the first installment and subsequent Rs 200 once the season gets over. Despite this out of 187 sugar mills, 97 have entered into agreements with the farmers to pay part payments of the FRP.
After five months of completion of the crushing season, the mills have procured 828.27 lakh tonnes of cane worth Rs 18,221.50 crore. They have however cleared only Rs 15,850.62 crore and are yet to pay Rs 2,385.06 crore to the cane farmers.
Shetti was on his way to launch an agitation demanding clearing of the pending cane dues.
