Controversy over sugar crisis is refusing to die down. Government at the Centre facing heat from various opposition parties over growing farm distress across the country. As Lok Sabha election is around the corner, political parties do not want to leave any stone unturned to sort out this issue.
National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar came in support of farmers and said, “Sugarcane farmers are running the sugar mills and make sure it sustains. Sugar is sold in the open market after a demand, but mills have a large quantity of sugar left today. It is not possible to give a one-time FRP (Fair and Remunerative Price) payment to sugarcane growers without the sale of sugar, so they need to borrow money to pay the dues.”
“If Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghthana leader Raju Shetti has any way to come out of this crisis, then I will extend my support to him. NCP is working very hard to find the solution to it.” he further added.
On January 6, Pawar wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a scatching attack on him over sugarcane growers in the country committing suicide due to financial desperation and said immediate steps must be taken to prevent any mass-scale revolt by farmers.
The protests were triggered by the decision of sugar mill owners to pay millers at the rate of Rs 2,300 per tonne of cane crushed instead of the full FRP that is to the tune of Rs 2850 per tonne. Led by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghthana, the sugarcane farmers in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Solapur districts have been torching offices of sugar mills and locking their field offices over the past two days.
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