Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister K. Narayanaswamy on Sunday said the State government was committed to the welfare of the sugarcane farmers who depend on jaggery making.
Given the restrictions on the sale of black jaggery, a suitable decision would be taken after discussing the issues concerning the farmers and traders with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said.
During a meeting with the black jaggery merchants and sugarcane growers here, the Excise Minister said the police were insisting on invoices and bills in the black jaggery trade due to the growing incidence of illicit liquor brewing not only in Chittoor but also elsewhere in the State.
“The aim is to eradicate illicit liquor brewing. The government has no intention to put the farmers and jaggery traders to trouble,” he said.
Superintendent of Police Y. Rishant Reddy asked the jaggery farmers to avoid selling the material to those involved in illicit liquor making. “Except for one or two cases, almost all the farmers are cooperating with the police,” he said.
Meanwhile, associations of jaggery merchants submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minister and the SP, urging them to remove the restrictions on the sale of jaggery. They contended that in the absence of sugar factories in Chittoor and Tirupati districts, they were forced to manufacture black jaggery as per norms.
