Chandigarh: The Punjab government is facing strong criticism for its alleged failure to pay sugarcane farmers an outstanding amount of Rs 200 crore. Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition, today stated that the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has not fulfilled its promise to clear these dues, causing significant hardship for farmers, reports The Tribune.
Bajwa highlighted that payments for sugarcane supplied between January and March of this year are still pending, leaving many farmers in a difficult financial situation.
The opposition leader accused the government of prioritizing private sugar mill owners over the struggling farmers. He pointed to a recent Rs 100 crore financial aid package given to private mills. Bajwa remarked, “The government readily makes payments to private businesses, but farmers who have worked for months to grow their crops are left without their rightful earnings.”
Bajwa also brought up an announcement made by the Chief Minister during a farmers’ gathering in Ludhiana in May. At that time, the Chief Minister stated that Rs 100 crore had been released to pay farmers who supplied sugarcane to cooperative sugar mills. However, Bajwa claimed these funds were later redirected to private sugar mills. He called this action “a move that undermines trust and is misleading,” and warned that it would severely harm Punjab’s cooperative sector.
In a specific example, Bajwa alleged that the Fazilka Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd has only paid farmers 32% of what they are owed since the start of the season. This is despite the mill reportedly selling sugar regularly in the open market. According to Bajwa, instead of using the money from these sales to pay farmers, the mill is using it to cover staff salaries, including old arrears, pensions, and maintenance costs dating back as far as three years.
