Sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra want sugar mills to pay them fair and remunerative prices (FRP) at one go but the mills have expressed their inability to do so.
Sugar mills in Kolhapur and Sangli districts have agreed to pay one-time FRP after the demand made by the cane farmers under the leadership of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana of Raju Shetty but the mills from other parts of the state have not responded to the demand.
According to the media reports, the sugar mills have stated that the pending sugar stock, delay in government’s export policy announcement and export subsidy are preventing the mills from generating funds to clear the cane dues of farmers.
The Farmers’ organizations led by Raju Shetty had launched an agitation for pending cane arrears and the mills have cleared 99.76 per cent FRP to the farmers. This year Shetty has demanded full FRP at a time and not in installments as it is paid every year.
