Sugarcane loses its sweet

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Biratnagar, April 17: Farmers in several parts of eastern Tarai are turning away from sugarcane farming after they have failed to get incentives and encouragement from the sugar mills.

Till four years ago farmers preferred sugarcane to other crops such paddy and wheat, but majority of farmers now think they would rather go for any other crop but sugarcane, said Jwala Prasad Pokharel, chairman of the Sunsari Sugarcane Producers Association.

While more than 2,000 farmers used to plant in the previous years, this year, not more than 500 farmers have gone for sugarcane farmers, he said. "The main reason is the dominating attitude of the sugar mills."

Pokharel also pointed out that the farmers have been agitating since the last three years to increase the price of sugarcane, but only the price of sugar increases and not of the raw material.

The gate price of sugar is Rs. 136 per quintal and that of the collection centre is Rs. 126 per quintal. The farmers are demanding for Rs. 164 per quintal as gate price and Rs. 156 as the collection centre price.

A sugarcane farmer Narayan Karki said besides price, non-payment of the sugarcane in time is another problem, which has discouraged the farmers from sugarcane farming.

He said the regulation says the payment should be made within one month, but the mills take several months to make the payment.

According to data, the Eastern Sugar Mills, the only sugar mills in the eastern Terai had last year collected 1.8 million quintals of sugarcane from the farmers of Morang and Sunsari. But this year the mills could collect only 600,000 quintals of because of the decrease in the plantation of sugarcane by the farmers.

Director at the Mills Dinesh Kumar Golchha also accepted that farmers have been turning away from sugarcane farming. But he denies the charges made by the farmers. He said the sugar mills has done everything possible to encourage the farmers towards sugarcane and the rise in the price of sugarcane has been at par with the increase in the price of sugar.

Regarding the payment of sugarcane, he said the problems lies with that the payments could be made only after the sugar are sold, but he said his Mills is making all efforts to pay the farmers within one month.

Business climate in Saptari assessed

Rajbiraj, April 17 (RSS): A colloquium on "Industry and Business Climate in Saptari Possibilities and Challenges" was organised here last Saturday on the occasion of the silver jubilee function of the Rajbiraj Jaycees.

Addressing the colloquium, industrialist Banwari Lal Mittal said the government should be more development-oriented rather than revenue-oriented.

Industrialist Chiranjibi Lal Agrawal stressed carrying out proper feasibility studies about the market conditions and availability of raw materials before establishing new industries.

Industrial officer Prem Lal Lamichhane and Dr. A. P. Yadav presented working papers on the occasion.

President of the Jaycees Sanjaya Saha, former jaycees president Kishore Pradhan, Sashi Agrawal, Govinda Singh and Shankar das also expressed their views at the programme.

Private sector plans 10-MW project in Langtang

Dhunche (Rasuwa), April 17 (RSS): Kantipur Hydro-Power Pvt. Ltd. has moved ahead the proposal to generate 10 megawatts of electricity from the northern Lantang river located about 16 kilometres away from Dhunche, the headquarters of Rasuwa district.

The water of the snow-fed langtang river will be channelised by building a six feet dam near Domen of Safru Village Development Committee, digging a six feet high 2.5 kilometre tunnel and installing two turbines on the left side of the old bazaar of Syafrubesi to generate 10 megawatts of electricity, according to Kantipur Hydro-Power private limited.

The Kantipur Hydro-Power has the target of commencing work of the hydropower station in the month of Mangsir, 2058 B.S. and completing the project within the next three years.

Arrangements have been made to mobilise 20 per cent domestic loan and 80 per cent loan from the Chinese bank for the project, according to manager of Kantipur Hydro-Power Private Limited Shishir Gyawali.

Likewise, 2.5 kilometre road from Dongdi Naya Bazaar to Domen and a permanent bridge over the Bhotekoshi river will be built for implementing the project.

No explosives except local manpower will be used for building the road.

Gyawali said that decision on local community development programme to be launched in the area will be taken after preparation of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.