Mahottari sugarcane farmers to get subsidy before Dashain

By Our Correspondent,Bardibas, Oct. 2: Farmers are likely to get the sugarcane subsidy before the festival of Dashain this year. According to the District Treasury Controller Office, Mahottari, as the budget was released this year, the subsidy amount has been sent to the concerned bodies to deposit the amount to the farmers' accounts before Dashain.

The government has deposited more than Rs. 200 million to the accounts of Mahottari farmers who provided sugarcane to the sugar mills during the crushing season this year. 

According to the District Treasury Control Office, although there are two sugar mills in Mahottari, only Everest Sugar Mill in Ramnagar crushed sugarcane this year. Around Rs. 203.03 million was sent to the account of 14,444 farmers who sold sugarcane to Everest Sugar Mill in Ramnagar, said Balkrishna Adhikari, Chief of District Treasury Controller Office, Mahottari.

Adhikari said that the details of the payment have been sent through 17 banks. As the banks are also working on cheque clearance, he said that they can deposit the subsidy in the accounts of all the farmers before Dashain.

The Everest Sugar Mills crushed 2.94 million quintals of sugarcane and produced 264,511 quintals of sugar.  

Farmers felt some relief after the government increased the sugarcane subsidy from Rs. 65 to Rs. 70 per quintal in three years. 

Sugarcane farmers have been demanding timely payment of subsidies at least before the festival, stating that they had a problem managing expenditures when they received the subsidy late in the past years. 

Naresh Kushwaha, President of Sugarcane Farmers’ Union Mahottari, said that the farmers felt happy and relieved after the government responded to the demands of the farmers and sent the subsidy quickly this year.

Timely payment has increased the confidence and enthusiasm of farmers towards sugarcane cultivation, he said.

The government provided subsidies to the sugarcane farmers as per the decision of the payment committee coordinated by the assistant chief district officer as arranged in the budget, said Adhikari.

At present, the price of sugarcane has been fixed at Rs. 610 per quintal, including Rs. 540 paid by the industry and Rs. 70 by the government as a subsidy.