Farm leaders said that Rs 200 crore, including Rs 145 crore and Rs 55 crore are pending towards the private and cooperative sugar mills, respectively, from the last crushing season.
Angry over sugar mills not clearing pending dues, farmers have announced a protest on August 20 during which they will block rail and road traffic.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) Doaba and Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee leaders Manjit Singh Rai and Gurminder Singh, respectively, informed that on August 20 they will stop trains near Dhanowali village and also block the national highway.
Farm leaders said that Rs 200 crore, including Rs 145 crore and Rs 55 crore are pending towards the private and cooperative sugar mills, respectively, from the last crushing season.
They said that in Haryana sugar mills are giving Rs 48 higher price per quintal of cane against the rate of cane in Punjab which is Rs 310 per quintal.
They said that Haryana had increased the rate of cane by Rs 8 per quintal and now farmers will get Rs 358 per quintal there.
Gurminder Singh said that the Punjab government should increase Rs 90 per quintal cane price. He said that as per the recommendations of Swaminathan Report the rate of the cane should be Rs 588 per quintal while farmers are demanding only to increase it to Rs 400 per quintal.
