Sugarcane farmers from several districts will be arriving in Kathmandu on March 17 to pressurise the government to recover their due payment.

A meeting of the Sugarcane Farmer Struggle Committee (SFSC) held in Sarlahi district last week has decided that farmers will come to the central capital to resume their protest.

According to the farmers, Mahalaxmi Sugar Mills, Annapurna Sugar Mills and Shree Ram Sugar Mills still owe them millions of rupees in outstanding payment.

“As the issue was gradually getting settled, the industries have stopped clearing their remaining dues,” said Rajesh Yadav, a member of SFSC.

He added that Mahalaxmi Sugar Mills is asking for more time, while Shree Ram Sugar Mills is yet to sell its land to clear the farmers’ dues.

Meanwhile, Annapurna Sugar Mills has shut down and gone out of contact.

Moreover, beside the unpaid dues, the farmers are worried whether or not the sugar mills will crush their produce this year.

“If they don’t crush our produce citing they are unable to pay our dues, the farmers will be in trouble,” said Yadav.

Sugarcane farmers are currently busy harvesting their produce and are likely to complete the harvesting in the next 15 days.

As per Yadav, the committee wants the government to bring a policy that will support continuation of the industries and also help farmers receive their payments in a timely manner.