Pune: Lok Sabha member and chief of the Shetkari Swabhiman Sangha-tana (SSS), Raju Shetti, will kick-off a protest march from June 29 to demand that sugar mills pay farmersтАЩ pending dues. Mr ShettiтАЩs other demand is that government provide a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre to cow milk producers.
тАЬSugar mills should pay FRP and Rs 200 to sugarcane growers who were not paid their dues till June 30. That is when the farmersтАЩ year ends. If they do not get their payments in time, farmers will not be able to repay their bank loans. And if they donтАЩt repay loans, they will not get the next loan of Rs 1.5 lakh with nil interest,тАЭ he said.
The MP from Hatkanangle said that earlier the sugar mills were facing problems as sugar rates in the market had dropped far below Rs 2,000 per quintal. тАЬBut now the rates have gone up and sugar mills wonтАЩt have any problems. If the mills donтАЩt pay by June 30, the cooperative commissioner should take action against them,тАЭ Mr Shetti demanded.
