The West Indian Sugar Mills Association (WISMA) has said the new fair and remunerative price (FRP) announced by the Maharashtra government on Monday will benefit farmers, who will get the payment as per the recovery rate of the current crushing season.
In a statement, WISMA president BB Thombare said: “As of now, the FRP was decided considering the last season’s recovery rate, cane cutting and transportation expenditures. This was wrong practice as farmers must get the FRP for the ongoing season based on the current recovery rate.”
Thombare said there is no correlation between last year’s recovery rate and the current year’s FRP. “Now, once the sugarcane comes to the factory for crushing, farmers will get basic FRP within 14 days. This will be based on the recovery rate fixed by the government. After the sugar season ends, farmers will get the premium based on the final recovery rate,” he said.
Thombare claimed that the State government has not split the FRP and also there is no reduction in the FRP rate.