Bijnor: Sugarcane farmers from Uttar Pradesh are reeling under financial stress as the sugar mills are delaying to clear their cane dues. According to the media report, the mills have cleared only 54% of the dues for the current crushing season till date. The farmers claim they are facing difficulties in clearing the power bills, school fees and installments of the loan borrowed for cane cultivation.
As per the news report published in The Times of India, the data provided by the cane department shows around 40 lakh farmers are engaged in sugarcane growing in UP. They have sold their crop to 120 sugar mills which include three government-run mills, 24 cooperative mills and 93 mills run by private operators.
Till date, farmers have supplied sugarcane crops worth Rs 26,906 crore to the mills. Out of which, outstanding dues of Rs 24,376 crore is more than 14 days old. Mills have paid Rs 13,334 crore to the farmers for the current crushing season, which is 54.7% of the total dues. Apart from this, dues of Rs 11,041 crore are still pending.
