Cane crushing season set to begin; Rs 11 cr still to be paid to farmers

The sugarcane crushing season is set to begin from November 21 at Naraingarh Sugar Mills Limited in Ambala, with dues of around Rs 11 crore of the previous season. As per information, during the crushing season 2024-25, over 42 lakh quintal sugarcane worth over Rs 168 crore was crushed.

The situation has gradually improved as the dues at the start of the season have been decreasing over the past few years, but the issue of delayed payment continues to be a concern for farmers. Last year, the season started with the dues of around Rs 22.74 crore.

As per norms, the payment should be cleared within 14 days of the purchase.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait) district president Singara Singh said, “We had a meeting with officials of the sugar mills on Monday and the farmers have expressed concerns over the delay in payments by the mills. The officials have claimed that the dues will be cleared before December 15 and fresh payments will start from December 16.”

“The mills is being run under government supervision for the past six years, and the government should ensure that no payment remains pending. Because of the issue of delayed payments every year, sugarcane farmers have started shifting to other crops,” he claimed.

BKU (Charuni) spokesman and sugarcane farmer Rajiv Sharma said, “Due to the issue of dues, I have reduced my sugarcane crop from around 10 acres last year to 6 acres this year. Due to the apprehension of payments getting stuck again, the farmers have started shifting their produce to crushers and other sugar mills. We request the government to ensure that the dues are cleared as per norms, else the farmers must get interest on the delayed payments.”

Unit head of the mills VK Singh said, “The dues have been brought gradually down. We are hopeful that if the mills get adequate sugarcane and government subsidies are received on time, there will be no dues next year. A target of around 50 lakh quintals during the crushing has been set.”

“Sugarcane farmers have started shifting to other crops. We have held meetings with the farmers to motivate them to grow more sugarcane so that the mills get adequate stock for production and the dues are cleared on time,” he added.