KATHMANDU, July 4: The government has claimed that sugar mills have cleared about 92 percent of the outstanding Rs 13.76 billion owed to 68,000 sugarcane farmers by 13 sugar mills during the current fiscal year.
Speaking at a press conference to publicise the government's achievements during its first 100 days in office, government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said effective arrangements have been made to ensure that the remaining dues are paid to sugarcane farmers before the end of the current fiscal year.
Pokharel also said the government has released around Rs 1.52 billion in subsidies pledged to sugarcane farmers. The government provides a subsidy of Rs 70 per quintal of sugarcane. "The amount has been released to the concerned agencies and is in the process of being deposited into the farmers' bank accounts," he said.
Sugar mills fail to pay sugarcane farmers
According to the government's 100-day achievement report, arrangements have also been made to immediately release payments that were withheld due to technical issues, such as mismatched bank account details or PAN information.
The report further states that the government has allocated a budget for the operation of the agricultural market information system and moisture centres. It has also advanced the distribution of soil health cards and soil testing services for farmers.
To promote investment in the agricultural sector, the government has reduced the risk-sharing burden on agricultural loans of up to Rs 30 million from 75 percent to 60 percent.
The government also said it is working to build a nationwide electronic database of farmers. So far, 750,000 of the 2,558,198 registered farmers have been verified.
Pokharel added that relief is being distributed to affected families, while studies are being carried out to identify measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
