Recovering arrears from sugar mills set in motion

The state government has set the process in motion to recover growers' dues from the sugar factories. The State Sugarcane Development and Sugar Directorate has issued Revenue Recovery Certificates against 37 sugar mills in 10 districts of the state to recover pending dues of Rs 1,011 crore.

The respective district administrations have issued notices to sugar millers on June 17, based on the recovery certificates.

Notice issued by respective DCs reads: "The factories should clear the growers' arrears by seven days and submit a report on the same. Failing which, the pending dues will be treated as land revenue arrears and the sugar stored in the factory godowns will be seized. The same will auctioned to clear farmers' dues."

CM intervenes

The Rajya Raitha Sangha had staged a protest in Bengaluru in June first week, demanding the government to pressure the factories to clear sugarcane growers' dues. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had taken a serious note of the issue and instructed the officials to take necessary measures to clear the growers' dues. K G Shantaram, Commissioner, State Sugarcane Development and Sugar Directorate, convened a meeting of sugar millers in Bengaluru on June 11 and told them to clear the arrears by selling sugar and byproducts.

Food and Civil Supplies, deputy director, Shreeshail Kankanwadi said, "Nine sugar factories in Bagalkot district had arrears of Rs 439 crore. After the district administration served notice on them, the arrears have been reduced to Rs 280 crore. In last season, 11 sugar mills in the district have crushed 98,84,952 tonnes of sugarcane. As per the FRP fixed by the state government, the mills were supposed to pay the growers Rs 2,898 crore.