Farmers’ organisations in Pune threaten agitation

Various farmers’ organisations have threatened to agitate in front of sugar factories to press for their demands, which include increasing the rate for cutting sugar cane.

While addressing a press conference in the city recently, Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) leader ND Patil along with Shetkari Sabha leader Gangabhishan Thavare, Satyashodhak Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti leader Kishor Dhamale and former sugar director KE Hardas demanded lifting the ban on the export of sugar.

“The Union government does not allow the export, which is indirectly helping sugar factories to make profits,” said Patil. He added that despite the fact that the state government had agreed to increase the rate for cutting one tonne of sugar cane from Rs111.86 to Rs137, it had not yet issued a circular regarding this decision. The rate for cutting cane is much higher in neighbouring states due to which many labourers migrated last season, said Patil.

Though some factories in the Kolhapur region provided Rs2,000 as advance at the start of the season in October, factories in Beed, Nagar and Nashik areas are still giving Rs1,400 to the labourers as advance.

Dhamale and Patil said that even though there was bumper production last season, the government did not allow the export of sugar. This resulted in large stocks remaining in godowns instead of yielding foreign exchange for the country.

Patil said the organisations would press for an advance of Rs2,200 and between Rs200 and Rs240 for cutting one tonne of sugar cane.