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Yamunanagar mill gives ₹ 55 cr relief to cane growers
Officials on Friday said that Saraswati Sugar Mills has paid the token amount to 9,927 farmers, who have supplied sugarcane to them up to November 30
: Yamunanagar-based Saraswati Sugar Mills (SSM) has transferred a sum of ₹ 55 crore as relief to sugarcane farmers even as the state government is yet to announce the state advisory price (SAP) of the crop for this season to help growers overcome financial crisis and meet their daily expenses.
The mill was the first in Haryana and Punjab states to start crushing operations on November 8 and till latest figures, 42 lakh quintals of sugarcane has been crushed so far.
Officials on Friday said that SSM has paid the token amount to 9,927 farmers, who have supplied sugarcane to them upto November 30.
Dharam Pal Singh, senior vice-president (cane division) of the Yamunanagar SSM, told HT that in view of the financial crisis being faced by the sugarcane farmers and to allow them to meet their daily expenses, the funds were transferred to their accounts on Wednesday.
“The said amount would be deducted from the current season payment as and when the government declares the price, without any liability to farmers,” he added.
As per figures, there are 20,500 sugarcane farmers in 672 villages of Yamunanagar district and parts of Ambala and Kurukshetra districts that are attached with the mills.
In the past few weeks, several farmer unions have staged a protest in the state, demanding the SAP from the government so that their payment could be received timely.
The last year’s SAP for sugarcane in Haryana was ₹ 362 per quintal. The state government is yet to announce the price for this season.
People familiar with the development said that this has happened for the first time that the government was yet to announce the rates two months after the crushing started. The price is expected to be announced during the assembly session that begins on Monday.
