Rajshahi Sugar Mills Ltd has been struggling to sell about Tk69.88 crore worth of sugar (about 7,470 metric tonnes) for a long time.
Consequently, the mill authorities are not being able to pay the Tk12 crore that they owe the local sugarcane cultivators, causing immense suffering for the latter.
Sources at the Rajshahi Sugar Mills said last year’s sugar production was about 26,810 metric tonnes. Of that, 9,340 tonnes were sold.
The authorities bought Tk30 crore worth of sugarcane from local producers in order to meet their production target, but were able to pay only about Tk18 crore.
The cultivators are gradually becoming discontent and this may worsen at any time, the sources continued.
Tofazzal Hossain Mridha, president of the Rajshahi sugar mill Akhchasi Kayllan Samity, alleged that the mill authorities have intentionally refused to pay the cultivators their money, causing them to incur losses.
However, the Samity often arranges protest rallies on the mill’s premises demanding the dues.
Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, manager (finance) of Rajshahi Sugar Mills, said: “The cultivators will soon be paid their dues after we sell the hoarded sugar. The authorities are trying their best to get out of this crisis.”
The manager blamed vested interests for the sugar remaining unsold, saying that when sugar prices were fixed by the government at Tk50 per kg, then these people manipulated the prices by selling sugar at Tk48.
Afterwards, the government was forced to lower the price to Tk40 and they then started selling at Tk38.
“Because we sell sugar at seemingly high prices, the dealers do not buy sugar from us. And now the cultivators are also urging them to hike the sugarcane prices,” said Abul Kalam.