The festival is approaching, the sugarcane farmers did not get the subsidy amount

Even though it has been more than 6 months since the sugar industry was closed after sugarcane crushing, the farmers have not been able to get government subsidies. The government had fixed Rs 635 per quintal of sugarcane for the last financial year. Out of which sugar industry will provide 565 rupees per quintal and the government will provide 70 rupees as subsidy. This year, the farmers have complained that they have not received the subsidy given by the government even though the industries here have paid for the sugarcane.

Birendra Pandit, a farmer of Sarlahi's Kavilasi Municipality-1, complained that even after seven months of selling sugarcane, he could not get the subsidy from the government. He told that there was a problem when the subsidy amount did not come even during the festival. He had planned to celebrate the festival with the grant money . Pandit said that for selling 800 quintals of sugarcane grown in 1 bigha to the industry, more than 28,000 subsidy amount is yet to be received. "There was a plan that the government subsidy for sugarcane would come and we would celebrate the festival, but the government has not paid attention yet," he said.

Similarly, Shambhu Rai of Haripur municipality-9 is also sad because of the non-receipt of grant money. He says that he is sad because he sells sugarcane every year and has to struggle for subsidy. He grew about 300 quintals of sugarcane in 15 fields and sold it to the sugar industry. Although he received money from the industry after selling sugarcane, he has not received Rs 21,000 as a subsidy from the government. From the 21,000 that he will receive as a grant, he planned to observe the festival from Ganesh Chaturthi to Chhath festival . Along with Teej and Ganesh Chaturthi, other festivals have arrived at the doorstep but the planned funds have not arrived, I am worried about what to do now, he said, "I have not seen an option to celebrate the festival by appealing to my friends, Ishtammitra."

Due to the similar attitude of the government and industrialists, the farmers have started to abandon sugarcane cultivation. Ajit Singh, a farmer of Bishnu Rural Municipality-1, who has been cultivating sugarcane on 10 bighas per year, informed that he stopped cultivating sugarcane due to not getting the price on time. He complained that he did not get the amount of sugarcane sold to Annapurna Sugar Industry earlier.

Kapilmuni Mainali, president of the Nepal Sugarcane Producers Federation, informed that initiatives are being taken for the amount of subsidy to be received from the government. Stating that he could not get the subsidy amount during the festival last year, Mainali said that the initiative was started a month ago to get it before the festival this year . "Last year we could not get the subsidy during the festival, so this year we are taking the initiative since a month ago," he said, "The leaders, ministers and the ministry are working hard." ;.

Sugarcane was being cultivated on 26 thousand hectares of land in the district where there are three sugar factories. But due to the price determination of sugarcane, the amount received from the industrialists and the problems of government subsidies, the farmers have now started to leave sugarcane cultivation . Currently, the data of sugarcane cultivation in the district is 19,000 hectares in Malangwa Agricultural Knowledge Center.

Nawalparasi 17 crore subsidy arrears

The farmers of West Nawalparasi have also complained that they are in trouble for not getting the subsidy amount for the sale of sugarcane. As the festival approaches, they are saddened that they have not yet received the subsidy amount they should have received for the last season.

"The festival is approaching, it has to be celebrated according to tradition, but the government has not yet sent the subsidy money," said Rabindra Chaudhary of Pratappur-6, "The money that comes from the sale of the industry can be used for the investment, fertilizers, seeds and wages of the farmers. Our profit is the subsidy given by the government. It has also been a problem not to give it on time.'

Last year too, the grant money came very late . For the sugarcane farmers, about 16 million rupees of subsidy came to the district from Push to Chait . President of Pratappur rural municipality and president of sugarcane producer Lumbini province Umesh Yadav said that they have met the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development and requested to pay the amount before Dasain without delay like last year. "Our demand is that the subsidy amount should be paid before Dasain," he said. It is necessary for the government to give farmers' subsidy as the first priority.'

In 2080/81, the data of 24 lakh 45 thousand 829 quintals of sugarcane sold by the district to the sugar industry was sent to the center, said Ruk Bahadur Bhandari, Fund Controller of the Fund and Accounts Control Office, West Nawalparasi.

Lumbini Sugar Industry, Wagmati Khadsari Industry and Indira Sugar Mill had sugarcane crushing last year . According to the data sent by the industry, 6 thousand 919 farmers are yet to receive Rs 17 crore 12 lakh subsidy. In 2080/81, the number of farmers selling sugarcane in this industry increased, while the subsidy amount of 15 million and 12 million was distributed last year.

Until a few years ago, the industry bought sugarcane on loan from the farmers and did not pay the amount for years, so the farmers started selling sugarcane to the Veli industry . As a result of this, the sugar industry started getting shortage of sugarcane and now the industry has started paying on time . However, the farmers are in trouble after the subsidy amount to be given by the government is delayed.