Tirupati: 6,000 sugarcane farmers wait for dues

Tirupati: Over 6,000 sugarcane farmers under Netham and Mayura factories are eagerly waiting for clearance of dues towards the supply of sugarcane they made to factories three years ago.

The farmers from various mandals in Nagari constituency and from many other adjoining assembly segments, supplied the sugarcane to - Mayura sugars and Netham (Nindra) in 2018-19 after which the sugar factories were closed due to various reasons.

The farmers have been staging dharnas, rallies and even submitting representations to MLAs, district ministers since 2019 for payment of Rs 69 crore, this include Rs 32 crore from Myura of Suddala Gunta in BN Kandriga mandal and Rs 37 crore from Netham of Nindra in Pichatur mandal.

After sustained agitations, the government began steps for auction of movable and immovable assets of factories towards the payment of farmers. However, when the farmers were happy that at last they are going to get their payments, they were shocked at the court orders staying the government efforts for public auctioning of assets.

Sources said that a Mumbai-based private financier from which Netham availed Rs 60 crore loan approached the court for recovery towards their loan, resulted in the court issued orders of staying auction.

The same was the case with Mayura sugars in which court prevented the government from going ahead with sale of its assets for recovery of dues to farmers. To mount pressure on the government for swift action, Nethaji Sugarcane Farmers Association president B Adinarayan Reddy along with association leaders met Nagari MLA Roja, who is now Minister for state Tourism Department, few months back who also raised her voice in the Assembly in favour of farmers.

Speaking to The Hans India, Adinarayana Reddy demanded the government to renew its efforts toward clearing the dues of farmers and further said the only permanent solution for sugarcane farmers issue is reviving two cooperative sugar factories in the district, SV Sugars of Gajulamandyam in Renigunta mandal and Chittoor Sugars of Chittoor, which were closed long back.

The sugarcane farmers of Tirupati and Chittoor were forced to go to neighbouring Tamil Nadu or to some far off districts through agents as the three private factories out of four in the district have closed one after another after becoming sick, he explained.