Kathmandu, Aug. 26 -- nine-year-old sugarcane farmer Mithai Lal Mallah from Paratappur Rural Municipality, Parasi, has been sitting in protest under the scorching sun at Maitighar, Kathmandu, demanding subsidy amounts farmers received from the government in previous years.

Mallah sold 500 quintals of sugarcane harvested from one bigha land to a sugar mill. This time, he has not received the full subsidy.

"I was supposed to get Rs70 per quintal. But when I heard that the government had cut the subsidy pay, I was frustrated," Mallah told the Post on Monday. It shows that the government does not care for farmers, he said.

Sugarcane production costs are high and the subsidy helps farmers recover some of it. The government-fixed minimum sup...