Ponda: Sugarcane farmers have threatened to launch an agitation on February 6 demanding that the government should take steps to make Sanjivani sugar mill operational during the next crushing season.
The farmers convened meeting in the premises of the mill under the leadership of sugarcane farmers President Rajendra Desai to discuss the issue. The farmers have also opposed to sending their cane to Karnataka for crushing owing to a series of difficulties faced by them.
“Till date, the farmers have sent 16,400 tonnes of sugarcane worth Rs 4 crore to Karnataka but they have received only Rs 50 lakh, that too after farmers launched an agitation on January 8. Chief minister Pramod Sawant assured to clear bills on time, however farmers are still awaiting for their bills,” said Desai.
“Besides this, the transporters have not received their bills and they have stopped transporting sugarcane to Karnataka. The petrol pump owned by the mill is unable to buy diesel due to lack of funds,” he further added.
Desai said that the farmers are worried about their sugarcane as the government has not cleared bills of the farmers and contractors as assured. The cane cutters are returning to their native places due to non-payment of the dues. If the situation continues, the farmers will face a worse crisis. Considering all these factors, farmers want the Sanjivani mill to start operations during the next crushing season.
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