Mandya Deputy Commissioner Kumar has stated that farmers should not be burdened with the cost of transporting sugarcane from fields after harvest.
Speaking at a meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mandya on Thursday to address a dispute between farmers and lorry owners, Kumar emphasized that both the government and the district administration are committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests.
He instructed sugar factories not to deduct transportation charges from the payment due to farmers for their sugarcane. Instead, Kumar urged factory managements to coordinate with lorry owners to cover the transport expenses themselves, ensuring farmers are not financially impacted, reported The Hindu.
Kumar also warned lorry owners against charging farmers the transportation fee set by the Directorate of Sugarcane Development and Sugar. He advised both the lorry owners and sugar factories to resolve the issue among themselves and arrive at a mutual agreement regarding the transport costs.
MLA for Melukote, Darshan Puttannaiah, who also attended the meeting, reiterated that neither lorry owners nor sugar factories should force farmers to pay for transporting their sugarcane.
Puttannaiah also pointed out the labour shortage in Mandya district for sugarcane harvesting. He noted that labourers from various parts of Karnataka and other states are currently working in Mandya for harvesting and transportation tasks.
According to the MLA, around 206 groups of labourers from across the state and country are presently in Mandya to assist with the sugarcane harvest.
The meeting was also attended by C.D. Gandhadhar, Chairman of Mysuru Sugar Company (Mysugar); Shanmugam, President of the Karnataka State Lorry Owners’ Association; Hemavathi, Regional Transport Officer, Mandya; and Venugopal, President of the Mandya District Lorry Owners’ Association.
