Rs.65 crore released to Cooperative Sugar Mills for payment to sugarcane farmers: Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

Cooperation Minister assures sooner release of balance payment amounting to Rs. 86.33 crore

Chandigarh, January 22, 2019: “The Punjab Government has released Rs.65 crore to the cooperative sugar mills towards the payment of sugarcane dues to the sugarcane farmers for the year 2017-18. The amount would get credited into the accounts of sugarcane farmers by tomorrow. The cooperative sugar mills were to pay dues to the tune of Rs.151.33 crore to the sugarcane farmers and out of this, today Rs.65 crore have been paid while the balance Rs.86.33 crore would also be released soon.” This was disclosed here today by the Cooperation Minister, Punjab, S.Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa in a press communiqué.

S. Randhawa also said that during the crushing season 2018-19 the cooperative sugar mills had crushed 99.15 lakh quintal sugarcane till 21st January. The average sugarcane recovery of the cooperative sugar mills today is 10.40 percent while till now it has been 9.61 which is likely to increase further. The Bhogpur and Morinda sugar mill had shown marked improvement in performance in comparison with the previous years and have recorded 11.40 percent recovery rate till date. In comparison with the previous crushing season, the cooperative sugar mills have till now produced increased sugar worth approximately Rs. 18 crore.

The Cooperation Minister also added that in the crushing season 2018-19, the cooperative sugar mills are in the process of making speedy as well as sooner payments to the sugarcane farmers and till 21stJanuary, the Punjab Government has released the payment of Rs. 178.84 crore out of total due Rs. 307.28 crore in respect of the sugarcane purchased as per the rate of Rs. 310 per quintal fixed by the State Government. Untill now, payments with regard to 58.17 percent sugarcane have been made.