Kathmandu.  The sugarcane farmers have started an agitation again after their payments have been deferred. The farmers have announced their protest program after the sugar industries did not clear their due payments.

Last year, there had been an agreement between the farmers and the government, according to which the due payments had to be deposited in the farmers’ accounts. The failure of implementation of the agreement has forced the farmers to announce a stronger protest program, said Ram Swartha Raya, chair of Sugarcane Farmers’ Struggle Committee, Sarlahi.

The sugar crushing season begins from the month of December, but he sugar mills have still not cleared the sum of 895 million 541 thousand 169 rupees to the farmers. The farmers blame the government for not taking strong initiation and help them get their due payment from the factory owners.

Last year, in the chilling cold days of January, the sugarcane farmers had been in protest at the Maitighar Mandala. “In the talks that followed, the government assured that the farmers’ due amount will be deposited in their respective bank accounts,” Raya said. “Since the mill owners did not make the payment as per the agreement, we again began our protest movement in March, but that had to be cut short because of the lockdown.”

The sugar factory owners, on the other hand, tell that some farmers have not provided them the bank account numbers due to which they have not been able to deposit the amount in their accounts. Mahalaxmi Sugar Mill and Bagmati Khandbari Sugar Mill have mentioned the problem and informed that they have cleared most of their payments.