PUNE: Two months after the sugarcane crushing season commenced in Maharashtra, 64 per cent of the sugar mills from the state havent paid a penny to the farmers, while the total sugarcane price arrears stand at Rs 3,557 crore, which is 71 per cent of the total dues.
According the Sugar Commissionerate of Maharashtra, millers have paid only 29 per cent of the cane price dues to the farmers.
Till December 15, Rs 1,469.49 crore has been paid to the farmers as fair and remunerative price (FRP), which has to be paid within 15 days of buying cane from the farmer as per the Sugarcane Control Order.The actual amount paid by the mills to the farmers as on December 15 stood at Rs 1,477.89 crore, as some mills have paid cane price which is higher than the FRP.Of the 188 sugar mills which are working this season, 120 havent paid anything to the farmers.
This list includes mills belonging to ministers in the state government as well as leaders from opposition parties.