Ethanol policy for millers — farmers left high and dry

More than 90 per cent of the cane returns are spent by farmers. as cultivation cost and for repayment of crop loans. So how would these farmers survive for a year or more without receiving their entire produce amount by a sugar mill?

Sugar mills, Sugarcane farmers, Sugar industry, Narendra Modi government, Agriculture, Indian express

In the same state of Maharashtra, while 100-plus mills have paid all their sugarcane dues in time, about 20 to 30 mills have dues between 10 and 60 per cent of their cane procurement amount pending even today.

The sugar industry was unanimous in hailing the push given by the Narendra Modi government for the production of ethanol. The policy, which was unveiled a few weeks back allows for production of ethanol, directly from cane juice, sugar and both B heavy and C molasses. Differential pricing, the millers say, will help them in reducing the sugar glut with many of them diverting towards ethanol instead of sugar. While this policy is surely going to help the industry to get back on its feet, the question about farmer’s payment seems to have escaped the attention of the government.