SARLAHI, April 16: Farmers of Sarlahi have stopped the export of sugar demanding payment of arrears of sugarcane. The farmers have taken three trucks of sugar in control that were headed for Kathmandu since Wednesday as the operator of Mahalakshmi Sugar Mill Bagdaha in Godaita Municipality has not paid the dues of sugarcane purchased from the farmers in the current fiscal year. However neither the mill administration nor the local administration has taken any initiative to resolve the payment issue or to release the truck which have been under control for the past four days. 

According to the farmers, they are yet to receive Rs 180 million in payments for the sugarcane purchased by the mill. Similarly, truck driver Prem Bahadur Jargha said that all the three trucks were unloaded at the sugar warehouse on Saturday after the sugar mill operators showed no interest in making payments. "Even though we have been stranded for four days, the parties concerned have not shown any interest," Jargha said.

Mahalakshmi Sugar Mill has crushed 800,000 sugarcane in the current fiscal year. According to Birendra Kanodia, the operator of Mahalakshmi Sugar Mill, they have already paid the amount for 90 percent of the crushed sugarcane. Stating that the mill has been paying the farmers on time, he said that some brokers have been creating unnecessary problems at the mill by introducing themselves as local farmers.

 
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