Punjab’s cooperative sugar mills would soon pay Rs 56 crore out of the balance amount to the sugarcane farmers very soon.

The announcement was made by the state Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Friday during the meeting of senior officers of the Cooperation Department and General Managers of all the cooperative sugar mills conducted to take stock of the preparations with regard to the onset of the crushing season 2018-19.

Randhawa said that out of the total Rs 56 crore, Rs 21 crore would be paid by the cooperative sugar mills with the assistance of the Punjab State Cooperative Bank, while the sanction for the rest Rs 35 crore has been given by the state Finance Department.

During the course of the meeting, the Minister emphasized strenuous efforts on the part of the General Managers of the Cooperative sugar mills during the crushing season 2018-19 to ensure good results by the cooperative sugar mills.

He also instructed that the recovery rate of sugar in each of the cooperative sugar mill must be over 10 percent and each mill should lay stress on bettering the performance in financial and technical spheres, while also making it clear that no laxity in this regard would be tolerated.

On the occasion, it was decided that the cooperative sugar mills would begin crushing season from November second week in accordance with the availability of sugarcane. The Minister directed the General Managers to inform the sugarcane farmers in advance regarding the commencement of crushing season so as to enable them to make arrangements of labour in the nick of time for harvesting purpose.

Randhawa also elaborated that an online mechanism would be developed before the starting of crushing season to provide information regarding bonding, supply, weighing and payment of the sugarcane as per which the information with regard to bonding, receipt, weighing and due payment would be provided to the farmers on their two registered mobile numbers.

The Minister also gave instructions to prepare a computerized calendar system in such a manner that the sugarcane farmers don't have to wait for more than six hours in supplying sugarcane to the mills.

Randhawa said that a letter has been written to the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister to increase the MSP of sugar to Rs 3,500 from the present Rs 2,900 in order to make the balance payments in time to the sugarcane farmers of the country.