Many growers are having second thoughts about continuing with sugarcane cultivation after harvesting for the crushing season 2015-16.

What prompted them to switch to commercial crops or horticultural crops is the fact that many sugar mills are not paying them the price of their produce judiciously, let alone scientifically.

The other reason is the alleged lack of support from the government.

Incentives announced

The government announced a State Advisory Price of Rs. 2,500 along with an incentive of Rs. 150 and an additional incentive of Rs. 100 per tonne linked to the payment of the fair remunerative price of Rs. 2,200 and above per tonne for the crushing season 2013-14, only after a grower committed suicide during the Winter Session of the legislature here in November, 2013.

The government, which failed to ensure the promised price to growers due to the reported reluctance of sugar mills since then, made another promise, again under pressure from growers on the second day of the ongoing legislature session here that the dues would be cleared by July 31.

The government is yet to announce the price for 2014-15 even as the crushing ended a few months ago.

The growers’ faith in the government is fast eroding, as they realise that Ministers and legislators belonging to the Congress and the Opposition parties have stakes in sugar mills and they will not take or allow any decision against the interests of these companies.

‘Incurring losses’

However, sugar mill owners claim that they have been incurring losses.

They are attributing it to the increasing cost of production and the volatile price of sugar in the market in the last few years.

The price of sugar was Rs. 2,000 per quintal this season. But, the growers say the mill managements do not speak of the alleged theft of sugarcane through faulty weighing, showing lower recovery percent and less than actual sugar production, the profits earned out of by-products such as ethanol, brews from the distilleries and the savings due to co-generation and inefficient management of available resources.

They ask if these mills are incurring losses, why politicians want to control sugar mills and spend money to get elected to the board of directors of cooperative mills.