Shivanand Patil, Minister for Textiles and Sugarcane Development, said that all the sugar factories in the State must take permission from the government and start cane crushing during or after November.
Speaking to media representatives in Kalaburagi on Sunday, the Minister said that the directions were already given to the concerned authorities and the sugar mills.
“The process of sugarcane procurement and its crushing was not proper in the State. Early harvests will lead to diminishing yields. For maximum output, we need to harvest and crush cane at a proper time. That is why we have fixed a timeframe for harvesting and crushing cane this time,” Mr. Patil said.
Recalling how KPR Sugar Factory from Afzalpur had procured cane from the areas of other factories and crushed it without permission and how the sugar produced from the factory was finally auctioned for ₹125 crores as per the directions of the court, Mr. Patil said that it was a warning for those who resorted to illegal means.
To a question, Mr. Patil said that 90% of the pending dues payable to farmers were paid by the factories.
“If any factory has not paid farmers as per FRP [Fair and Remunerative Price], the farmers should bring it to the notice of the Sugar Department. We will take measures to ensure that factories would pay the pending bills to farmers. Basaveshwara Sugar Factory at Mulwad in Vijayapura district had around ₹24 crore dues payable to farmers. The process of auctioning the sugar stock and paying the farmers is under way,” he said.
