BIDAR: A meeting of sugarcane growers and cooperative sugar factory managements held here on Tuesday failed to resolve the issues faced by farmers. The only major decision taken at the meeting was that the factories would be able to extend the sugarcane crushing season till end of May.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Basavaraj Tambake said farmers had grown nearly 32 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in the district, cultivated over an area of 88,000 hectares. However, they had a problem selling their produce. The three sugar factories and 10 Khandsaris (mini sugar factories) were refusing to buy sugarcane saying, prices of sugar was low.

President of the district unit of the Congress V.K. Patil said the Government was not helping farmers either. He urged the Government to intervene and force the factories to buy all the sugarcane at a remunerative price. Some farmers demanded that the factories pay Rs. 1,100 per tonne of sugarcane as agreed earlier.

Bidar Sahakari Sakkare Karakhane president Ishwar Khandre said the factories were running into losses owing to the wrong policies of the State Government. Mr. Patil alleged that personnel of the factories and the labourers employed by them were demanding bribes from farmers. Zilla Abhivruddhi Vedike leader Ganapati Shambhu said the factories were discriminating against farmers.

He alleged that the Naranja Sahakari Sakkare Karakhane was purchasing sugarcane only from farmers who were close to the management. Mr. Khandre demanded that the Government release water from the Karanja dam to run the Mahatma Gandhi Sahakari Sakkare Karakhane.

The factory has no permanent source of water and if the Government does not release water, it will not be able to extend the crushing season till end of May, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Munish Moudgil said the district administration had no powers to release water to run a factory and would refer the matter to the State Government.

Mr. Kashempur asked the factories to buy and crush all the sugarcane produced in the district.

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