Aska: Delay in payment by the Aska Cooperative Sugar Mill has led to resentment among the sugarcane farmers here in Ganjam district, a report said.
The matter came to the fore after a delegation of sugarcane farmers led by their secretary Samir Pradhan met managing director of the mill Lakshmikant Behera and discussed with him about the release of the arrears.
The mill authorities had released 70 per cent of the bill amount to the farmers who had supplied sugarcane to it in the month of February, but are yet to release the payment of those farmers who supplied sugarcane later.
Pradhan warned that the farmers will resort to an agitation if the mill authorities make any further delay in releasing their arrears.
This year, the sugarcane crushing work was started in the first week of February and ended in the last week of April. The sugarcane farmers had supplied 82,000 tonnes of sugarcane to the sugar mill. However, the mill authorities after making a lot of delay paid 70 per cent of the payment to the farmers who had supplied the crop in the month of February but are yet to release the payments for the farmers who supplied sugarcane later.
The government had announced to provide a special package to the farmers after the cyclonic storm Titli lashed the district. But the farmers feel cheated as they are yet to receive the aid.
PNN
