An anxious wait for the commencement of sugarcane crushing by mills is only getting longer as an agitation launched by Maharashtra’s sugarcane farmers is turning violent across the western state.
So grave is the situation that only 15 of the state’s 145 mills have so far begun crushing. The rest have decided to wait and watch, as farmers and the state government have yet to arrive at an understanding on the payment of sugarcane price.
Even as three unions of sugarcane farmers are pressing for the payment of first advance of Rs 2,200 per quintal and the final payment of Rs 3,300 per quintal, the state government has taken a stand: it is mandatory for mills to pay the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of Rs 1,450 per tonne that the central government has declared for Maharashtra.
Farmers participating in the agitation have resorted to damaging of bullock carts and other property, mainly farming equipment. They have also resorted to road-block, smashing up vehicles -- both public and private. Sangli and Kolhapur districts, which house more than 35 mills, have been declared “disturbed”. The collectors have served notice to the leaders of trade unions, seeking compensation for the damage caused to the properties of mills and the public properties.
The agitation is expected to add more woes to mills that are worried over the disposal of a carry-forward stock of 3.5 million tonnes (worth Rs 9,205 crore) and crushing of 77.5 million tonnes of sugarcane to produce 8.7 million tonnes of sugar during the 2010-11 crushing season.
A senior minister said it would not be possible for the government to accept the demands of trade unions to pay the first advance of Rs 2,200 per quintal and the final payment of Rs 3,300 per quintal. “This will leave the cooperative mills completely broke,” he told Business Standard.
The state cabinet had, at a meeting held last week, reiterated that mills would have to pay the first advance not below the FRP fixed by the central government. “We have already appealed to the agitating farmers to allow crushing to begin as further delays will cause serious harm to them as well as to the mills,” the minister added.
He recalled that cooperation minister Harshvardhan Patil had already completed three rounds of talks with the agitating farmers and the government has “shown our desire” to hold further talks.
Former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has also stepped in. He appealed to the agitating farmers to call of their stir in the larger interest of sugarcane growers, saying the issues can be resolved through talks.
The Shetkari Sanghatana countered the government’s stand and reiterated that the government’s calculation was not based on reality. “Sugarcane growers need to be paid first advance of Rs 2,200 per quintal and final payment of Rs 3,300 per quintal,” said its leader Raghunath Patil. “This is necessary, as prices of fertilisers, diesel and other inputs have risen like anything. ”
