July 14, 2015
Sugaronline | http://goo.gl/okvmhw
The Karnataka state government has already released INR3.21 billion (US$50.5 million) towards the first instalment of dues payable to sugarcane growers as promised on the floor of the Assembly recently since private sugar factories expressed their inability to pay INR200 per tonne incentive fixed for the year 2013/14, according to India's Deccan Herald.
Replying to members in the Legislative Council on Monday, Co-Operation and Sugar Minister H.S. Mahadevaprasad said the money had been released to deputy commissioners of all sugar growing districts who had bene directed to deposit INR100 per tonne in the bank account of each farmers as early as possible. The second instalment of INR100 per tonne would be released before July 31. "We will clear INR9.24 billion due to farmers since the last one and a half years", he added.
The minister said the government had seized around 900,000 tonnes of sugar from 36 sugar factories across the State. The department had seized and sealed godowns having stocks of sugar and not empty godowns as alleged by MLA Laxman Savadi during the Belagavi Session. It was true that the department had seized molasses from Ghataprabha Sugar Factory instead of sugar. "We are not leaving any stone unturned to s seize stocks of sugar from all defaulter sugar mills", he said.
Mahadevaprasad also said a meeting of all sugar mills has been convened on Wednesday to discuss the start of the next crushing season since many factory managements have decided not to crush sugarcane in future to protest against stock seizure.