Sugarcane farmers elated after timely payment from industries

Mahottari, Jan 3: Sugarcane farmers in Mahottari district have breathed a sigh of relief after receiving timely payment from sugar industries.

The farmers were paid within a week after supplying sugarcane from their farms. The Everest Sugar and Chemical Industries made payments to the farmers within a week of purchasing the products. However, the farmers have expressed their displeasure with the support price set by the government for sugarcane. The government has fixed Rs 585 per quintal for sugarcane by increasing Rs 20.

In addition to this, the government provides Rs 70 per quintal in grants. The grant amount is being distributed to the farmers during the festive seasons of Dashain and Tihar. The sugar mill has paid the farmers in three installments over the past three weeks. “We have received the payment in our bank accounts, which has made us very comfortable.

This has encouraged us to continue sugarcane farming,” said farmer Arun Giri of Bhanghaha-4. Previously, farmers had to wait and struggle for three years to receive payment for sugarcane. General Manager of Everest Sugar and Chemical Industries, Surendra Shukla, mentioned that his company has a policy to pay farmers every five days after weighing the products.

He also shared that the company has paid over Rs 250 million to farmers until last week. In Mahottari, the area of sugarcane farming and production has increased this year. Sugarcane farming is now conducted on 9,000 bighas of land, with expectations for further growth in the coming years. —RSS