During a review meeting on the performance of the State sugarcane and sugar department with the officials concerned on Wednesday, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat asked them to firm up concrete plans on how to bail out the State-based sugar mills, including the privately-owned, which are yet to clear the huge amounts due to the sugarcane growers and to present the reports to him.
He reiterated his Government’s commitment to ensure that the sugarcane growers get fair price for their produce. He said the growers as well as the employees of the sugar mills are bearing the brunt of the inefficiency and apathy of the mismanagement of such sugar mills. The Chief Secretary S Ramaswami was among the officials present during the meeting.
He referred particularly to the management of Iqbalpur Sugar Mill, saying that the mill owners had paid the sugarcane growers based outside the State while sitting on the payment to the State-based farmers. He asked them to clear the dues of the growers from the State immediately. Those representing the Iqbalpur Sugar Mill said they have arrears to the tune of Rs 59 crore due to the sugarcane farmers.
They assured they will clear dues worth Rs 15 crore by September 15 while the remaining Rs 34 crore would be cleared shortly. Similarly, laksar and libberhedi sugar mills have dues to the tune of Rs 7.7 crore.
CM instructed the sugarcane secretary to make concrete plans about how to make the State-based sugar mills self-sustaining. He asked the officials concerned to make sure that all the Government-owned mills crush the sugarcanes at least 120-130 days in a year. He also stressed on a transparent policy or system being maintained for procurement of sugarcane from the growers.
Secretary sugarcane and sugar industry, Dilip Jawalkar said during the crushing season 2016-17, the State-run mills, including those working under cooperative, public and private ownership, have crushed 350.60 lakh quintal sugarcane and produced 34.55 lakh quintal sugar. In this crushing season, they have released payment of Rs 876.99 crore against the procurement bill of Rs 1080.18 crore, he informed. He added remaining Rs 203.18 crore, which is 18.81 per cent, is yet to be paid by these mills. Cooperative and public sector sugar mills are having arrears to the tune of Rs 110 crore.
The officials said the financial status of the sugar mills is negative while they have been making payment against the previous loan taken last year.
While Iqbalpur Sugar Mill has released Rs 113.32 crore against the arrear of Rs 192.94 crore the remaining Rs 79.62 crore is yet to be paid. libberhedi and lakar sugar mills have arrears worth
Rs 1.31 crore and Rs 6.47 crore respectively.
