Rautahat, December 26

Local sugarcane farmers looked sad as Shreeram Sugar Mills was yet to come into operation at Garuda in Rautahat.

The then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala had inaugurated the sugar mills in 1992 at Garuda and it was in operation for the last 27 years. The mill has been crushing sugarcane since then.

The management has taken no initiative to repair the mills though repair works have taken place every September or October. Sugarcane farmers looked sad after there was no preparation for operation of the mill till date.

According to an internal source, the sugar mill might be on the verge of closure as it has faced huge loss in the past 16 years. He said the management did not like operating the mill at a loss. He added that some 400 staffers would be jobless if the mill was closed. Reportedly, the mill owed some 40 crore rupees to sugarcane farmers from the last fiscal.

Sanjaya Mishra, a local sugarcane farmer, said farmers were confused as the mill had yet to issue any notice. Locals said the mill was making profit till 2003 when Golchha organisation ran it.

The mill’s decline can be attributed to the unfortunate associations with sugarcane production union and the staff in the mill. The locals questioned what would

happen to sugarcane farming in thousands of hectare land if the mill did not come into operation.

District Chairman of Sugarcane Production Union Ashok Yadav said he was in contact with the authority concerned to release the due amount to the farmers. He added initiatives were taken for operation of the mill.