Cane farmers call off strike

Sarlahi, May 20:

Sugarcane farmers of Sarlahi district in State 2 have called off their relay sit-in from Monday evening following a five-point agreement with the sugar mills.

Sugarcane farmers from the south-western part of the district were staging the relay sit-in from Sunday at the Shahid Chowk in Malangwa, the district headquarters, demanding the payment of the cane they sold to the sugar mills.

The District Administration Office had initiated dialogues between the industrialists and farmers.

As per the agreement, Annapurna Sugar Mill, Dhankaul will pay the liabilities of the previous years by mid-June this year. It has about Rs. 125 million liabilities of the previous years to the farmers. 

Similarly, it has also agreed to pay about Rs. 370 million, this year's liabilities, to the farmers by mid-October 2019.

The farmers have agreed not to obstruct the sugar supply from the mill, said Chief District Officer Drona Pokharel.

"From the earning of the sugar selling, 85 per cent money will be paid to the farmers and 15 per cent will be used to manage administrative work. Similarly, Mahalaxmi Sugar Mill, Bagdaha has also agreed to pay the liabilities of Rs. 490 million to the farmers at the earliest," he said.

The farmers said that the Annapurna had been cheating the farmers for many years.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 21 May 2019.