Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday directed the Cooperation Minister to ensure immediate payment to sugarcane farmers for 2019-20 by the state’s nine sugarcane cooperative mills, which have received Rs 100 crore from Sugarfed on this account.

Sugarfed had released Rs 100 crore against payment of the sugar mills for crushing season 2019-20 on the directives of the Chief Minister, said an official spokesperson.

Capt Amarinder SinghThe Chief Minister has asked Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to issue directions to the cooperative mills to transfer the payments to the accounts of the farmers without any delay. 

With the release of Rs 100 crore, the cooperative sugar mills will be able to clear payment of Rs 349.05 crore against the total of Rs 486.23 crore due for the crushing season 2019-20.

Payments of 2018-19 season have already been cleared by the mills, located at Nawan Shahr, Budhewal, Morinda, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ajnala, Nakodar, Bhogpur and Batala.

Randhawa has assured the farmers of early clearance of the balance payment for 2019-20.

Sukhjinder Singh RandhawaHe said that the Government of India was being approached for early release of payment of about Rs 60 crore as sugar export subsidy and buffer stock claim of the co-operative sugar mills so that all the arrears of sugarcane could be settled as soon as possible. 

Randhawa reiterated the state government’s commitment to the welfare of the farmers, saying that despite the decline in government revenue due to the coronavirus and lockdown, all possible efforts were being made to pay the outstanding arrears of the sugarcane farmers at the earliest.