The district administration officials have given instructions to sugar factories to ensure transparent and fair management of their units. These units are expected to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices and are not cheated.
At a meeting of factory managers and farmers leaders in Belagavi on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil warned the factories of initiating strict legal action if they [factories] do not follow the rules.
The meeting was held at the S. Nijalingappa Sugarcane Research Institute here.
He instructed factories not to start crushing operations before November 1 as that will ensure proper growth of the crop and ensure uniformity in the timetable for crushing operations. He also asked factories to consider paying more than the fair and remunerative price as farmers are suffering from a drought.
“We have received several complaints that factories cheat farmers during weighing and measuring output. Factories should address these issues. Both the tasks should be carried out transparently and scientifically,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
He asked officials to monitor the two processes in each factory by the use of advanced machines. He asked managements to set up electronic or computerised weighing scales and recovery machines in all factories.
Mr. Patil asked farmers to complain to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, in case they suffered injustice at the hands of sugar factories. In case of errors in weighing and recovery calculation, officials from the Department of Weights and Measures will conduct inspection in presence of the complainants.
The government will make available to farmers copies of FRP prices set up for all factories, he said.
The Deputy Commissioner also suggested that farmers groups or associations set up weigh bridges by seeking government assistance. As per the rules, factories should not refuse sugarcane from farmers who have their produce weighed outside the factory premises, he said.
Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled asked officials to inspect the weighing machines in turns and to take action against factories that refuse to accept independently weighed sugarcane.
Director of the sugarcane institute B.R. Khandagave spoke about recovery issues and other rules.
Farmers asked the government to run the weighing machines and direct factories to accept such readings. They asked the Deputy Commissioner to set up a committee to inspect such facilities.
Farmers leaders Subhash Shirur, S.N. Joshi, Jayashree Gurannanavar, Choonappa Pujari, Lingaraj Patil and others were present.
