PONDA: The farmers of Sanjivani Sugar Factory, Dharbandora on Friday warned of an agitation if their compensatory pending amount is not cleared within three days.
Farmers Association President Rajendra Desai after holding a meeting with farmers in the Sanjeevani Sugar Factory premises in the presence of its office bearers warned that the farmers will sit on a dharna at the entrance gate of the factory from Monday if their demands are not fulfilled within 3 days.
Addressing the media he said that since 2019 the government had stopped sugar factory operations and before the closure of operations the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had asked not to keep their lands fallow and cultivate any crop of their choice including sugarcane on a promise that the government would provide them compensatory amount for five years. Accordingly the farmers cultivated sugarcane and various crops.
Desai further said, “Farmers were promised that the government would provide a compensatory amount of Rs 3000 per tonne for the first year, Rs 2800 for second year, Rs 2600 for third year, Rs 2400 for fourth year and Rs 2200 for the fifth year. The farmers were assured that the subsidy for the same would be cleared by December 2021, however the same was not cleared due to which the farmers are now into financial crisis”.
A sugarcane farmer Harshad Prabudesai claimed that the chief minister had assured them about the compensation and said ‘bhivpanchi kaych garaj naa’, but now despite several reminders the money has not been cleared.
