MP sugarcane growers renew demand for dues

Sugarcane growers are again demanding their dues that sugar mills of the Gwalior region have not paid for the past 15 years. Sugar mills of the Gwalior division in Madhya Pradesh owe a huge amount to cane farmers since 1994-95.

The issue has often been raised in the Assembly but the sugar mills "ignored" the government instructions in this regard.

Last year the then agriculture minister, Choudhuri Chandrabhan Singh, had admitted in the Assembly that three cooperative mills "" in Dabra, Kailaras and Guna "" were yet to clear the dues of the farmers.

The farmers of the region met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who assured them of payment of dues within one month.

"The chief minister has assured us that the dues will be cleared within one month or else criminal cases will be lodged against the management of the mills," a representative of Gwalior sugarcane growers said.

A government source said, "Dabra Sugar Mill owes nearly Rs 5.75 crore to farmers from the year 1994-95 to 1998-99, Rs 52,000 for the year 2001-02, Rs 1,01,000 for 2002-03, Rs 1,93,000 during 2003-04. Another amount of Rs 77,91,000 as difference amount of the state advisory price and minimum support price is also due on the mill for 2003-04."

Similarly Morena Mandal Sahkari Shakkar Karkhana Maryadit Kailaras in Morena district has an outstanding of Rs 1,12,000 for the year 2002-03 and Rs 5,10,000 for 2003-04.

Last year, in a written reply, the agriculture minister had admitted in the state assembly that Dabra Sugar Factory owed nearly Rs 4.6 crore to farmers, Morena Mandal Sugar factory at Kailaras owes about Rs 3 crore and Farmers Cooperative Sugar Mill, Narayanpur owed Rs 16,98,000.