Brahmavar sugar factory to get Rs 12 cr from govt for revival
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 13: The State Government has agreed to release Rs 12 crore for the revival of the Brahmavar Cooperative Sugar Factory in Udupi District.
The release of funds is for payment of pending arrears to the workers since the closure of the factory.
File Photo
Karnataka’s Sugar Minister Prakash Hukkeri, who announced the release of funds for the revival of the Brahmavar sugar factory, also announced similar grants to the Pandavapura sugar factory for its revival.
Meanwhile, the growers of the State Government-owned Sugar factory located at Mandya have demanded financial support of Rs 30 crore for the revival of the factory.
The minister also announced the government’s decision to pay Rs 2,400 per tonne as an advance price for sugarcane supplied to sugar factories for the 2013-14 crushing season.
He said the decision to pay the advance price at Rs 2400 a tonne of sugarcane supplied by growers to factories was not final.
''The price fixed by the Board is not final. The price may be revised upwards after consultations with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,” he said.
The price was fixed by the Board after taking into account production, cutting and transportation cost per tonne of sugarcane with 9.5 per cent of recovery.
Maharashtra factories have also been paying Rs 2400 per tonne of cane.
The cabinet sub-committee on sugar procurement headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra has recommended buying sugar from co-operative sugar at Rs 30.75 per kg for ensuring regular supply of the commodity to BPL families through public distribution system.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has been distributing a kg of sugar at Rs 13.50 a kg per month. There 1.08 lakh BPL families in the State.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also attended the meeting.
Income accrued by the co-operative sugar factories by selling sugar at Rs 30.75 a kg would ultimately benefit cane growers, the minister.
The Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association has alleged that the Karnataka Sugarcane Control Board (Procedure regarding Transactions of Business) Rules, 2013, constituted by the Government is anti-farmer and demanded its reconstitution.
The government has constituted board for regulating the purchase and advise on fixing the price. The 15-member board has representatives from growers and private and cooperative sugar factories.
Association President Kurubur Shantakumar said that the Board has given no representation to members of the Association.
“The Board members are hand in glove with the factory owners and are unaware of the growers’ difficulties.”
Shantakumar threatened to launch a state-wide protest if the government failed to reconstitute the Board failed to accommodate members of the association. There was no representation to Indian Sugar Mills Association.
The board headed by Minister for Sugar Prakash Hukkeri has representation to Beelagi Sugars, Bagalkot, owned by the family of Minister for Information Technology S R Patil and Shamanur Sugars, Harappanahalli, owned by the family of Minister for Horticulture Shamanur Shivashankarappa.