CHANDIGRH: For promoting sugarcane farming in the state, the Punjab government would be modernising all sugar mills of the state. The state government will also be clearing outstanding payments of Rs 200 crore to the sugarcane farmers. This was informed by Mr S K Sandhu, Financial Commissioner (Cooperation) and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Punjab, while interacting to farmers after participating in a seminar at Neelon Bridge, near Ludhiana today. This seminar was organised in collaboration with Budhewal Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd.
Sandhu informed that the Punjab government has decided to make sugarcane as main crop of crop diversification in the state, under which all sugar mills of the state are modernised.
He said that first and foremost, the capacity of sugar mills is also increased. The capacity of Bhogpur Sugar Mill is increased from 1600 metric tonne to 3000 metric tonne. The capacity of remaining sugar mills is also to be increased.
He said that all sugar mills have been directed to distribute sugarcane seed to the farmers. He said that the farmers will start getting the sugarcane seed from next two years. He said that for clearing outstanding payments to farmers, the Punjab government has kept a budget of Rs 300 crore, out of which Rs 100 crore has already been issued while the remaining Rs 200 crore would be issued soon.
Mr Sandhu urged the farmers to adopt drip irrigation for sugarcane farming and that the state government is giving a subsidy of 80-90%. He said that for the remaining 20% balance, the farmer can get easy loan from cooperative banks. He said for installing drip irrigation in one acre of land, an amount of Rs 60, 000 is required.
Prominent among those present in the function included Sugarfed Managing Director Mrs Kamalpreet Kaur Brar, Budhewal Sugar Mill chairman Mr Harinder Singh Lakhowal, Sugarfed Chairman Mr Sukhvir Singh Wahla, experts from Punjab Agricultural University, besides several others.