Ahmedabad, Nov 6 (IANS) More than 850 sugarcane farmers associated with Vyara Sugar in Gujarat’s tribal belt will receive Rs 7.14 crore in pending payments before Diwali, the state government announced on Friday.
Spokesperson Minister Jitu Vaghani said the government had decided to release the amount to address the financial difficulties faced by farmers supplying sugarcane to Shri Ukai Pradesh Sugar Industry Cooperative Society Limited, popularly known as Vyara Sugar.
The money will be transferred directly to the farmers’ bank accounts before the festival.
Farmers had been facing difficulties as the cooperative sugar mill was unable to clear payments for their sugarcane produce on time.
Taking note of the issue, the state government decided to intervene under the supervision of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
“The state government has made the necessary arrangements to directly pay around Rs 7.14 crore towards outstanding sugarcane dues to more than 850 farmers. The amount will be credited to their bank accounts before Diwali,” Vaghani said.
He said the decision followed efforts by Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel, Minister of State, Jayram Gamit, and former minister Ganpat Vasava, along with other tribal leaders, to resolve the issue affecting farmers in the region.
Vaghani said the release of the pending payments would help farming families meet their financial needs during the festive season and celebrate Diwali without the burden of unpaid dues.
He added that “the government remained committed to supporting farmers and ensuring that they received due payment for their produce”.
The announcement comes as a relief to sugarcane growers in the tribal region, who had been awaiting payment from the cooperative mill.
–IANS
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