Walkout over problems of sugarcane growers

Bhopal, July 31 (UNI) The opposition Congress members today staged a walkout in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly charging the BJP government with ignoring the interests of sugarcane growers.

The issue relating to non-payment by three sugar mills in Gwalior-Chambal region to the farmers was raised through a call attention notice by Mr Ramniwas Rawat, Mr Sajjan Singh Verma and Mr Brijendra Singh Rathore (all Congress).

The Congress members said the farmers were forced to torch sugarcane in the fields as the sugar mills were not coming forward to purchase it nor the crushers allowed to operate. Banks had recovered and auctioned tractors of farmers, who had defaulted in repayment of bank loan after the sugar mills failed to make payment of sugarcane.

Agriculture Minister Choudhary Chandrabhan Singh, in his reply, admitted that three sugar mills at Dabra, Guna and Kailaras had not paid Rs 782.16 lakh to farmers during 2006-07.

He admitted that excess production, expansion in crop area and decline in sugar recovery contributed to the problem. Notices had been issued to the mills to ensure immediate of dues to the farmers, he added.

The Congress members expressed concern over the government not coming foward to help the farmers whose tractors were being auctioned by banks and staged a walkout.

UNI