JOIN USThe State government proposes to bring amendments to the Karnataka Sugarcane (Regulation of Purchase and Supply) Act, 2013 to protect the interest of sugarcane growers, Cooperation and Sugar Minister H S Mahadev Prasad said, on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Prasad said the legislation had been passed by both houses of legislature in 2013, and the government would incorporate changes based on its experiences in implementing the provisions of the Act during the last one year.
The legislation empowers the State government to decide sugarcane price on revenue-sharing basis between growers and factories.
Prasad was recently given additional charge of sugar portfolio, following incumbent Prakash Hukkeri’s entry to Lok Sabha.
The minister said the common complaint among growers was factory owners failed to give them the price fixed by the government.
Violation
Sugarcane Control Board had fixed sugarcane price at Rs 2,500 per tonne, but only three of the 60 sugarcane factories - MysSugar, Pandavapura and Bannari Sugars had payed the fixed amount.
The minister said the sugar commissioner had issued notices to the remaining 57 factories for non-payment of the fixed price, but the factories had got a stay on the notice from the High Court. The factories owned cane arrears amounting to Rs 3,111 crore.
The government has now issued notices to the factories to at least pay the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of Rs 2,100 per tonne as fixed by the Centre within two weeks.