Tirupati Sugars Ltd, Bagaha, owes Rs 135 cr to sugarcane growers, farmers paid for 7 days

Speed Post News Network

Bagaha :  Against an arrear of about 70 days, Tirupati Sugars Limited, Bagaha, has paid growers for the sugarcane supplied by them for 7 days only so far. The sugarcane crushing operation started about 70 days back with 75,000 to 80,000 quintals of sugarcane being crushed per day violating the stipulation under which the payment of sugarcane arrears has to be made within 15 days of the cane crushing.

Nandesh Pandey, organiser of Progressive Sugarcane Farmers’ Front, Bagaha, claims that Tirupati Sugars Limited owes Rs 135 crore to the sugarcane growers of the area. The non- payment of the arrear had forced many farmers to even postpone the marriage of their daughters, said Ramesh Fauji, a sugarcane growers of Kumbhia- Bisunpurwa. A progressive farmer Prameet Singh of Rampura -Lakshmipur said the farmers, who had purchased tractors through the bank loan hoping to pay the bank instalments after payment of their arrear are unable to pay back the loan.

The sugarcane farmers under Thakaraha block in West Champaran district are allegedly also being exploited by Bishnu Sugars Mill, Gopalganj. The factory purchases early varieties sugarcane at the rate of rejected varieties, alleged Satyendra Tiwari of Thakaraha, He also accused sugarcane weighing centre incharge of not weighing the sugarcane correctly at the time of purchase,

Food & Consumer Protection Minister cum Minister Incharge of West Champaran district Madan Sahni had recently visited Bagaha and assured the sugarcane farmers of immediate payment of their sugarcane arrears. Obvioulsy, Tirupati Sugars Limited management is hardly bothered about what Sahni had said.