NAWALPARASI, JAN 16 - Due to the ongoing dispute between the Federation of Nepalese Sugarcane Producers (FNSP) and Sugar Mills Association (SMA) over the price of sugarcane, thousands of metric tons of sugarcane in the district have been stranded.
The dispute that emerged after the SMA unilaterally decided to reduce the price of sugarcane by Rs 16 per quintal, has also resulted in the closure of the locally based sugar mills and sugarcane crushers.
"The current dispute has compelled the farmers to bear a huge loss, as we have still been unable to harvest the sugarcanes," said Dudh Nath Gupta, Secretary of Sugarcane Producers Association.
He also said that the sticks of sugarcane have begun to gradually dry up in the field thus putting farmers at trouble.
"However, there is no way out than to stop the supply of sugarcane to the mills, as we cannot collect even investment cost while selling the sugarcanes at a price fixed by the mills," lamented he.
He further said that it is unfortunate to reduce the sugarcane price in Nepal while its price has been comparatively higher in the neighbouring India, where the price is fixed at Rs 158 per quintal.
"The farmers would not supply the sugarcanes at any rate until the mills increase the price," he added. He also said that the farmers, so far, have not received the payment of the sugarcanes that they supplied to Bagmati Sugar Mill last year.Posted on: 2004-01-17 03:41

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