Sugarcane farmers upset after delay in receiving subsidy from government

By Our Correspondent,Sarlahi, Aug. 6: The sugarcane farmers are disappointed as they have not yet received the subsidy amount for the sugarcane they sold last year.

The farmers of Tarai have yet to receive a subsidy of Rs. 70 per quintal of sugarcane that was sold in December-January.

Kapil Muni Mainali, president of the Federation of Sugarcane Producers’ Association, said that they are repeatedly asking the Ministry of Finance and other agencies to provide the subsidy.

According to him, the farmers could not get the subsidy amount even though they were assured that the money would be released immediately when they asked the ministry for the same.

“Government did not give subsidies for six months after the sugarcane was sold,” said Mainali.

He said, “When the area of sugarcane cultivation is decreasing, the government should encourage the farmers by increasing the subsidy, but it has only disappointed the farmers by not giving the subsidy for months.”

The all-party meeting held in Sarlahi a few days ago demanded with the federal government to give subsidy immediately to the sugarcane farmers.

Farmers who sold sugarcane to Annapurna Sugar Factory Dhankaul in Sarlahi and Mahalaxmi Sugar Factory in Bagdah have not been able to get full payment from the industry.

The farmers who sold sugarcane to these two industries have complained that they are being cheated by both the government and the industrialists.

Mayor of Godaita Municipality Devendra Yadav, who is also a sugarcane farmer, complained that the industrialists did not pay the full amount and the farmers were disappointed when the government delayed giving the subsidy amount.

Sugarcane farmers have been protesting every year to get the payment for sugarcane sold to the industries after the sale of sugarcane and the subsidy provided by the government.

Nirmal Neupane, chief of District Treasury Controller Office, Sarlahi, said that the office had not received the sugarcane subsidy from the concerned ministries.

Neupane said that as soon as the amount is received from the ministry, it will be sent to the farmer’s account.

 “In the previous years, sugarcane subsidy amount was received only at the end of Dashain, it seems that the situation will be the same this year,” he said, “as soon as the amount is received in the Treasury Controller Office, we will send it to the farmer’s accounts.”

Farmers have been leaving sugarcane cultivation in recent years due to delay in fixing the price of sugarcane stems, even when the price is set, it is not set according to the cost, industrialists do not pay on time after the sale of sugarcane, and the government takes time to provide subsidy.