Sugar cane dues: Farmer threatens to commit suicide

 A sugar cane grower from the district has submitted a petition to the District Legal Services Authority stating that he would commit suicide with his family members if the sugar factory to which he had supplied sugar cane fails to clear the dues.

Ashoka Basappa Sajjanar, the farmer from Sangur village in Haveri taluk, has stated that he had supplied sugar cane to Sangur Sugar Factory and the factory was yet to pay him the arrears for 2013-14 and 2014-15. He has stated that the factory had been delaying the payment on one or the other pretext. The farmer said that G M Sugars, the company owned by the family of Union Minister G M Siddeshwar had taken the lease of Sangur Sugar Factory in the taluk. The factory has to give him Rs 1,43,491 towards the sugar cane supplied during 2013-14 and 2014-15. But, it had been delaying payment giving lame excuses, according to the farmer.

“I am a marginal farmer and my family is dependent on agriculture. It has become difficult to lead life in view of the drought this year. More than 60 farmers in the district have already committed suicide and I am left with no option to follow the suit if the factory fails to clear the arrears,” Sajjanar told reporters. He has appealed to the Legal Services Authority to file civil and criminal cases against the company for recovery of the amount due.