Team Herald
PONDA: The farmers supplying sugarcane to Sanjivani Sugar Factory on Tuesday complained that they are facing difficulties for not getting the payments towards supply of sugarcane to Karnataka based sugar factory for the last year crushing season.
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It may be recalled that last year, the State government had stated that the Sanjivani Sugar Factory machinery has worn out and it is not possible to conduct crushing season for the year 2019-20 and had promised the farmers to buy all their sugarcane production and accordingly supplied their sugarcane to the Khanapur–Karnataka based sugar factory. However, the farmers were made part payments and majority bill amount is still pending.
Harshad Prabudesai, member of farmers association, questioned how they would survive without payments. He said, “They were assured by the State Government to clear their bill amounts towards supply of sugarcane to Karntaka factory through fund of the State government but still their bills are pending.”
He informed that he expected a total of around Rs 7.5 crore is pending from the Karnataka based sugar factory including the subsidy amount from the State government.
It is learnt that the Goan farmers had supplied more than 27,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane for the recently concluded crushing season to Karnataka based Laila Factory. However, the farmers are only paid part of the bill amount and the most bill amount is not cleared yet. The farmers are worried now, as to how to clear their loans and cultivate sugarcane for next crushing season, on which their livelihood depends.
Meanwhile, around 35 truck owners who were transporting the sugarcane of the Goans farmers have also stated that their bills are not cleared yet by the Karnataka based sugar factory. They met Sanjivani Sugar Factory officials over the issue. However, the officials asked them to contact the transport contractor.
The truckers most of whom are Goans complained that the transport contractor for whom they worked and operated trucks for transportation of sugarcane to Karnataka had not cleared their bills and he is also not receiving their phone calls. The truck owners said it has become difficult for them to clear the salaries of their drivers and are also worried about feeding their families.
