Pawar takes on Centre, Maharashtra govt, demands funds for sugar factories

Mumbai: Supporting the lobby of sugar factories for their inability to give Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to sugarcane farmers, the NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that Union and state governments must take the issue seriously and provide the financial assistance to sugar factories for giving the FRP to farmers. “The sugar business is in trouble as it has no demand in the international and the national market as well. It is not possible for sugar factories to give FRP to sugarcane farmers. So, the Union and state government must provide financial assistance of Rs 700 per tonne to bridge the gap between sugar price and cost of production,” said Pawar, while addressing the first press conference after he met with a minor accident last month. [caption id=“attachment_2048813” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sharad Pawar. AFP[/caption] Pawar, who has his grip over the cooperative sector, dominated the political scene in the sugar belt of Maharashtra for decades. Around 170 sugar factories are the lifelines of village economy in the entire sugar belt in western Maharashtra. He also sarcastically dared the state government to take over sugar factories for failure to give FRP to sugarcane. Recently, the state government had threatened to seal godowns of sugar factories and auction the commodity to FRP pay cane farmers. The government’s action comes after BJP ally, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, launched a violent agitation over the issue earlier in this week. Around two hundred sugar factories have been asked to explain their case by BJP Minister Chandrakant Patil-led cooperation ministry. “Since Patil is from Kolhapur district, known for highest sugarcane production, I believe that he has more knowledge of issue. It would be good if the state government took over the properties of sugar factories for failure to give FRP. They should go ahead and give the FRP to farmers, also pay salaries of the employees and bank debts,” Pawar said. The NCP chief further criticised the government for delay in taking decision over the sugarcane price issue. “When we were in power, the decisions related to farmers were taken quickly. Despite being in power at the Centre and state, the parties are damaging the government properties demanding over the issue. The union and state government must resolve the issue at the earliest,” he said. He further demanded that the union government must continue the incentive scheme on raw sugar production and exports, which had been stopped since the new government came to power. Recently, BJP state president Raosaheb Danve said that the Union government had given approval for Rs 4,000 crore to resolve the sugar case price issue. “Following his statements, I inquired with the concerned department of the union government that said no such package had been approved as there is no budgetary provision for it,” Pawar said referring to Danve’s statements.