All-party delegation to be taken to Delhi to resolve sugar cane issue

The State government will pay the sugar cane farmers after auctioning the sugar stock seized from the factories, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said.

Intervening in the discussion on the issue in the Legislative Assembly, the chief minister said that the farmers will be paid the state advisory price of Rs 2,500 per tonne of sugar cane. The sugar mills operating in the State owe Rs 923 crore to farmers.

The price now being paid by sugar factories is Rs 300 to RS 400 less than the fair and remunerative price fixed by the Union government. The sugar mills in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh too haven’t paid the dues of farmers for the last season. The government would soon lead an all-party delegation to the Union government to get the issue resolved. Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has assured to call a meeting of chief ministers to resolve the issue, Siddaramaiah said.