Kadapa: Days have turned sour and bitter for sugarcane farmers in the district. With the closure of the co-operative sugar factory in Chennur, the area under sugarcane cultivation across the district has come down significantly.
Sales have dipped alarmingly although farmers here and there are cultivating sugarcane. In order to survive, some farmers are moving to other areas to sell their produce. However, they are facing problems as owners of industries are making haphazard payments. The ordeal is such that around 262 farmers have not received payments for the sugarcane yields of two years back. An industry in Nellore district’s Podalakuru owes Rs 3 crore to farmers in the district.
The aggrieved farmers brought their plight to the notice of Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy and Mydukuru MLA Raghuramireddy when they came to Chapadu for the inauguration of new secretariat buildings on October 18 last year. The MP immediately spoke to the assistant cane commissioner and urged him…