Details of sugarcane farmers sought to provide subsidies

By Our Correspondent,Sarlahi, Apr. 26: The District Treasury Controller’s Office, Sarlahi, has demanded details of sugarcane crushing from all three sugar industries in the district.

To provide a subsidy to be paid by the government to the sugarcane farmers, the District Treasury Controller’s Office demanded the details of farmers and the quantities of crushed canes from the sugar industries.

Indushankar Sugar Industry, Harion, Mahalaxmi Sugar Industry, Bagdaha and Annapurna Sugar Industry, Dhankaul, are in operation in Sarlahi.

All three sugar industries stopped sugarcane crushing two months ago. 

Pushpa Prasad Guragain, Chief of the District Treasury Controller’s Office, Sarlahi, said that the sugar industries have been sent a letter to provide details within a week, including the names of farmers who sold sugarcane, along with the amount of sugar they crushed.

The Treasury Controller's Office sent the letter on Wednesday. 

The meeting of the committee to pay the subsidy to sugarcane farmers held on Tuesday decided to prepare a format and demand details from the sugar industry, including the names of the farmers, municipalities, and the quantity of sugarcane crushed.

The owners and representatives of all three industries who reached district headquarters, Malangawa, on Thursday after receiving the letter from the Treasury Controller's Office have made their commitment to submitting the details of farmers and the quantity of sugarcane crushed within a week.

The government has decided to provide subsidies to sugarcane farmers at the rate of Rs. 70 per quintal.

An arrangement has it that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock sends the amount to the District Treasury Controller’s Office through the Department of Agriculture, and the District Treasury Controller's Office deposits the money in the farmers' accounts. 

Guragain said that the amount for the sugarcane subsidy is yet to be received in the bank account of the District Treasury Controller's Office.

The subsidised amount is usually sent by the government to sugarcane farmers during the time of the Dashain festival.

The sugarcane farmers have been demanding that they be provided a subsidised amount at the earliest.