Four-point agreement between government and sugarcane farmers

KATHMANDU: The government and the sugarcane farmers have reached a four-point agreement today. As per the agreement signed at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supply, the farmers will get a payment of Rs 650 million from the sugar industry within 21 days.

If the payment is not made within 21 days, the ministry has agreed to withhold the assets of all the industries and take initiative to provide money to the farmers, said Urmila KC, information officer of the ministry.

Similarly, it has been agreed to form a technical committee to investigate the misuse of the subsidy due to the sugarcane farmers, the subsidy of the farmers to the sugar mills, and the purchase of sugarcane at less than the price fixed by the government.

It has been agreed that the committee will include representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance, sugar mill operators, and five farmers. The technical committee will prepare the report within 120 days.

Similarly, in Sarlahi, it has been agreed that farmers can sell sugarcane to any mill by repealing the rule made only to sell sugarcane to mills around 10 km away.

Farmers from Sarlahi, Rautahat, and other districts had been protesting in Kathmandu for 16 days demanding to get money from selling sugarcane.