Farmers threaten Champaran Bandh if sugarcane price not announced immediately

Speed Post News Network

Bagaha : Sugarcane growers of West Champaran district are on war path against the state government and five sugar factories in the district for the delay in the announcement of sugarcane price for the current season ( 2018-19) even as they have  requested CM Nitish Kumar, Sugarcane Development Minister Khurshid alias Feroz Ahmad, and Sugarcane Commissioner, Bihar Government, to announce the price at the earliest.

The sugarcane growers said that five sugar factories of West Champaran are crushing sugarcane from their respective areas since first/second week of November 2018  but they are facing acute hardship due to non- payment of their cane price. A meeting of cane farmers was held here December 14, 2018, to discus the situation. The CPI(ML) Central Committee member Birendra Gupta, D N Dwivedi, Progressive Sugarcane Farmers’ Front Convenor Nandesh Pandey, Omprakash Chaudhary, Vicky Singh, Rabikesh Patel and others participated at the meeting. The sugarcane farmers have resolved to resume their step by step agitation against the government from December 15, 2018.

The sugarcane farmers alleged that the sugar factories had betrayed them though the Patna High Court, in its verdict in 2017, directed the authorities of these factories to pay their arrears with interest within two months of the verdict. But, the sugar factories did not comply with the court order. The meeting resolved that if the government fails to announce cane price immediately, Sugarcane farmers would give a call for Champaran Bandh.