Clear Rs 383 crore dues of sugarcane growers: SAD to Captain

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday asked Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to ensure that private sugar mill managements clear the outstanding payment

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday asked Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to ensure that private sugar mill managements clear the outstanding payment of Rs 383 crore to sugarcane growers along with interest quotient. They demanded “unmasking of the real kingpin of the seed scam” and condemned the Congress government for “trying to give the scam a quiet burial.”

HT Image

In a statement, SAD’s newly-appointed farmer wing president Sikander Singh Maluka said, “It is strange that even though the CM had asked the finance department and Sugarfed to clear Rs 299 crore dues to sugarcane farmers, no effort are being made to direct the private sugar mills to clear the outstanding dues.”

“While private sugar mills owe farmers Rs 383 crore on account of sugarcane procured in 2018-19 and 2019-20, they had not been paid dues even after end of 2019-20,” Maluka said.

He said as per the Sugarcane Control Order and Clause 3(3) of the Sugarcane Purchase and Regulation Act, sugar mills should make payments within 14 days of purchase of sugarcane or pay interest on late payment. He said that accordingly all pending dues of farmers should be cleared along with interest.