Farmers protest slow crushing at Ajnala Cooperative Sugar Mill

Farmers expressed concern over the slow crushing of sugarcane at the Ajnala Cooperative Sugar Mill in Bhala Pind and staged a protest against the mill management. The farmers, who are contracted to supply sugarcane to the mill, claimed while the mill has the capacity to crush 25,000 quintals of sugarcane daily, it is only processing 15,000 quintals.

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A delegation, led by Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, leader of the Jamhuri Kisan Sabha and sugarcane grower’s leader Gurnam Singh Saidogaji, raised their concerns about the slow lifting of sugarcane. They met with Subhash Chander, the general manager of the Ajnala Cooperative Sugar Mill. However, the meeting reportedly led to an argument between the general manager and the farmers, creating tension. The farmers also raised slogans against the management.

Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala pointed out the sugar mill has a crushing capacity of 25,000 quintals per day and was expected to start operations on October 15. However, the mill only began processing in the last week of December. Over the past two months, the mill has been operating below capacity, processing just 15,000 quintals a day. In response, the general manager, Subhash Chander, assured the delegation despite most of the mill’s machinery being outdated, it still has sufficient capacity to meet the farmers’ needs.

Ajnala stressed, “The mill management must meet its commitments and ensure the entire crop is processed. Farmers are unable to switch to other crops such as maize due to the standing sugarcane in the fields. Some farmers are even transporting their sugarcane to a private mill in Mehta, incurring high transportation costs. The mill’s surveyors are not performing their duties effectively and the mismanagement has contributed to the slow crushing process.” — TNS