Mahottari. Everest Sugar Mill at Ramnagar of Gaushala Municipality-1 in Mahottari district failed to achieve the sugarcane crushing target in the current fiscal year 2082/83 due to shortage of sugarcane.

According to the industry, 28,53,178 quintals of sugarcane was crushed in this season out of 89 days of crossing.

This is 247,822 quintals less than the target set by the industry. The industry had set a target of crushing 31 lakh quintals of sugarcane this season. “We had set a target of crossing 31 lakh quintals of sugarcane but could not achieve the target due to lack of sugarcane,” said Surendra Shukla, general manager of the mill. The crossing that was started on December 20 was brought into operation till Thursday.

Although the industry has simplified the payment process for sugarcane in the last three to four years, sugarcane farming has not increased. Sugarcane cultivation has shrunk to 5,6,000 bighas from 15,000 bighas a decade ago. The farmers, who had stopped farming in the previous years due to difficulty in payment, have been gradually increasing farming after simplifying the process in the last three years.

Naresh Singh Kushwaha, president of Sugarcane Producers Farmers’ Association, Mahottari, said sugarcane farming is currently around nine thousand bighas of land in the district. “The number of farmers has increased after the industries simplified the payment system, but the farmers are facing problems regarding price determination and subsidy,” he said. ”

The representatives of sugarcane farmers have been demanding that the price of sugarcane should be fixed by mid-November every year with the participation of industry, government and supply and subsidy should be increased. Kushwaha complained that the government has been fixing the price unilaterally without seeking the representatives of the farmers. He said that this price fixation has also been done by weakening the farmers after the crop is ready.

According to Kushwaha, both farmers and industries have been affected due to lack of agricultural growth. “The government has fixed the price of sugarcane at Rs 620 per quintal and Rs 70 per quintal. This is low in proportion to the rising cost of cultivation and the general price rise,” he said.

The sugar mill has said that it has been paying the sugarcane within two weeks of its weighting. Shukla, general manager of the mill, said that the payment of sugarcane is due only for the last one week (March 10 to April 10). According to the industry, the payment will be made within a few days.

Shukla, general manager of the mill, said that Rs 1.62 billion has been paid to the farmers’ bank accounts for 26.32 million quintals of sugarcane as of March 10. According to him, 1,174 farmers have received the payment.