KATHMANDU: Sugarcane farmers in Mahottari district have launched a protest after the government failed to include the long-running subsidy for sugarcane in this year’s national budget.
The farmers, who number over 15,000 in the district, are demanding that the subsidy of Rs 70 per quintal, which they had been receiving for years, be continued without interruption.
On Tuesday, farmers gathered in front of Everest Sugar Mill in Ramnagar, Gaushala-1, demanding the reinstatement of the subsidy.
Two days earlier, they had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli through the District Administration Office, urging the government to address their concerns.
“This year’s budget made no mention of the subsidy. We have been repeatedly drawing the government’s attention, and we are hopeful our voices will be heard,” said Naresh Singh Kushwaha, chairperson of the Sugarcane Producers’ Association.
The farmers are protesting under the leadership of their organized bodies, the Sugarcane Producers’ Association and the Sugarcane Producers’ Federation. They argue that the removal of the subsidy will hit their already fragile livelihoods and have warned of a larger protest in Kathmandu if their demands are not addressed.
According to Mahashankar Thing, a member of the national federation, the farmers have laid out three key demands: immediate disbursement of the subsidy for the fiscal year 2081–82, inclusion of sugarcane farmer representatives in the annual price-setting process, and a commitment from the government to continue the subsidy in future budgets.
In fiscal year 2024/25, sugarcane farmers in Mahottari are due to receive Rs 217.2 million in subsidies. A total of 14,533 farmers were listed as eligible, and that number is expected to rise above 15,000 this year. Last year, 14,444 farmers received Rs 203.3 million under the subsidy program.
“If the government fails to respond to our demands, we will begin a Kathmandu-focused protest from Bhadra 8,” the federation has warned.
Farmers say the withdrawal of state support comes at a time when the cost of inputs is rising and sugarcane cultivation is becoming increasingly unsustainable. They believe the government’s inaction risks pushing thousands out of farming altogether.
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