Sugar factories, directors to decide about payment: Patil

Kolhapur, Apr 2 (UNI) Maharashtra Marketing Minister Harshwardhan Patil today said the sugar factories and their directors will decide on the payment of second instalment of the sugarcane price to the sugarcane growing farmers and asserted that the state government was not in the way of it.

Mr Patil, who is also the Kolhapur District Guardian Minister, told reporters at the government circuit house here, sugar factories have paid first instalment at the rate of Rs 900 per tonne to the farmers, which was approved by the state government.

In a negotiation with chairmen of sugar factories and concerned district government officials, the farmers' action committee from the Western Maharashtra districts--particularly Kolhapur and Sangli, had resolved to pay Rs 1,280 per tonne of sugarcane to the farmers in two installments of Rs 900 and Rs 380.

The agreement had taken place before start of the crushing season for the year 2006-2007 year and sugar factories have already paid first instalment of Rs 900, but failed to pay the second installment of Rs 380 as per the negotiations--after one month of crushing of the sugarcane.

The payment of the second instalment depends only on the financial well-being of the sugar factories and the approval of the directors, Mr Patil stated.

The state government has decided to crush sugarcane in Maharashtra completely by extending the crushing season to avoid any injustice to the farmers, for which state government has given priority, Mr Patil informed.

Referring to Kolhapur district sugarcane crops, Mr Patil said from about one crore five lakh metric tonnes sugarcane crops in the district, major share of it has been crushed so far and the remaining about four lakh metric tonnes' crushing will be completed till April 20.

UNI