Tirupati: Sugar goes sour for cane farmers

TIRUPATI: With corporate sugar factories in Chittoor district shut by the government citing losses, sugarcane farmers appear to be in a fix with private sugar factories allegedly not ready to pay the minimum price fixed for the crop. Chittoor District was once in the lead position in Rayalaseema in farming this commercial crop. This situation has gradually started changing with the output coming down from last ten years. In 2014-15, sugarcane was cultivated over 1.25 lakh acres which has come down to about 1.15 lakh acres in 2015-2016. In 2016-2017, however, cultivation of this crop was down drastically to reach 75,000 acres while this year, it has been confined to just 50,000 acres.

G. Adhikesavulu, a farmer from Chandragiri, said, "Private sugar factories are not buying the crop for the minimum given price. The farmers are left with no option because the government has shut down cooperative factories in the name of losses almost three years back. So we are losing interest in cultivating sugarcane. Farmers who have planted this crop fear losses this year." The SV Cooperative Sugar factory in Gajulamandyam of Chittoor District was closed almost three years back. Payments to the farmers are still pending with about Rs 14 crore being the amount owed to farmers. The opposition has also protested and demanded reopening of the SV Cooperative Sugar factory

YSRC leader R.K. Roja has demanded the reopening of closed sugar factories because many farmers are suffering. She said, “The government is playing with the lives of farmers and employees. It should immediately pay the pending amount of Rs 13.5 crore and pending salaries of employees amounting to Rs 6.8 crore along with PF amount and retirement gratitude of Rs 5.9 crore. Private sugar factories are earning profits but the government says that this unit is running in losses. It’s so silly that the government is acting blind.”