Sugarcane farmers receive half of the subsidy amount

By Our Correspondent,West Nawalparasi, Nov. 12: Sugarcane farmers in West Nawalparasi have received nearly Rs. 70 million as a subsidy for the last fiscal year.

Of the total subsidy amount, the government has released the subsidy at the rate of Rs. 35 per quintal — which is half of what the farmers had demanded.

According to Kamal Sapkota, Chief Treasury Controller at the Treasury Controller Office, Nawalparasi, about Rs. 69.61 million has been paid to sugarcane farmers as subsidy. 

Out of the total 7,308 sugarcane farmers eligible for the subsidy in the district, 6,276 have already received the amount.

Sapkota said that the distribution could not be completed because the details of the remaining 1,032 farmers were not provided by the sugarcane-crushing industries.

Bagmati Khandsari Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd., Susta, has received the highest subsidies, with 3,772 out of 4,013 farmers getting the amount. 

Out of 2,289 farmers who sold sugarcane to Lumbini Sugar Mill, Sunwal, 2,108 have received subsidies, while only 396 out of 1,006 farmers at Indira Sugar and Agro Industries Pvt. Ltd., Pratappur, have received theirs.

Due to Indira Sugar Mill’s delay in submitting details on time, subsidies have not been distributed to more than half of the farmers who supplied sugarcane to the industry.

Sapkota said that there is still a balance of Rs. 14.43 million to be disbursed to the farmers. 

“The money has already been deposited into the accounts of the farmers whose details were received before Tihar. The remaining amount is still reserved in the accounts of the Treasury Controller Office, as the industries have not yet provided the necessary details,” he said.

He added that despite repeated requests to the industries to submit the farmers’ details, there has been a delay in their submission.

Umesh Chandra Yadav, Central Secretary of the Federation of Sugarcane Producers’ Association, demanded that the remaining subsidy amount be released to the farmers immediately. 

He said that only half of the total subsidy has been received so far, and the Ministry of Agriculture and livestock Development has assured that the remaining amount will be released soon.

Farmers from 13 Tarai districts where sugarcane is cultivated are still waiting for the subsidy amount of Rs. 750 million for the last fiscal year. 

Before Dashain, the agitating sugarcane farmers had met Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Madan Prasad Pariyar and requested him to release the entire outstanding subsidy amount for the previous year.