Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh: The warehouse of Maqsoodapur sugar mill has been sealed by Additional District Magistrate (Finance) Arvind Kumar for failing to pay sugarcane farmers over Rs. 126 crore. He firmly stated that the warehouse will not be reopened until the cane payment process begins, reported Dainik Jagran.
The warehouse contains a stock of 1 lakh quintals of sugar, valued at around Rs 40 crore.
The sugar mill commenced its current crushing season on November 5, 2024, and continued until February 30th of this year. During this period, it crushed around 46.20 lakh quintals of sugarcane. The mill, with a daily crushing capacity of 7,000 tonnes, was allocated 25,000 hectares of sugarcane. The mill administration procured sugarcane from approximately 21,000 farmers through gate purchase centers of three committees in Puwayan, Puranpur, and Bisalpur, and 37 other purchase centers.
ADM Arvind Kumar stated that farmers have been making repeated visits to the district headquarters seeking payment. “Some have to arrange their daughters’ weddings, others need to pay school fees. Due to the mill’s indifferent attitude, many farmers are now shifting to other crops. If this situation continues, sugarcane farming in the region could come to an end,” he warned.
He added that despite repeated directions and warnings from the Principal Secretary, Sugarcane & Sugar Development, and the District Magistrate, the mill administration failed to act, prompting this strict action.
