K'taka announces relief package for sugarcane farmers

Bangalore, Feb 18 (UNI) The Karnataka Government today announced an additional amount of Rs 125 over and above the statutory minimum price for crushed cane, to be paid by sugar mills to farmers, during 2007-08.

An official statement here said the government would release an initial amount of Rs seven crore to Bijapur, Chamarajanagar and Bagalkot districts towards the payment of susbsidy of Rs 25,000 per hectare for uncrushed cane.

As part of the package, the government would facilitate the increase of liquidity of sugar factories to enable them to clear last year's arrears.

Meanwhile, expressing displeasure over the package, farmers organisations demanded that the government should fix a fresh price on par with other states, where it was more than Rs 1,000.

UNI SIV SJ 1713