CANE FARMERS WITHDRAW STRIKE Kathmandu, 22 Sept.: Sugarcane farmers who were on a hunger strike demanding that the Shreeram Sugar Mills at Garuda, Rautahat district, pay them the amount it owed them called off their hunger strike on Friday night, RSS reports from Rautahat. The farmers ended the hunger strike after a deal was reached between them and the Mills administration on Friday night. They had started the hunger strike in front of the Mills. The sugarcane farmers claim that the Mill owes them Rs 200 million.They had not been paid for the sugarcane they sold to the mills. Some 24,000 sugarcane farmers in Rautahat, Bara and Sarlahi districts are yet to get the payment for five months from the mills. The agreement was reached after a discussion between the representatives of the Sugarcane producers´ federation, the striking sugarcane farmers and the mills administration.The discussion was held under the initiatives of the Chief District Officer of Rautahat district, Shiva Hari Upadhyaya. As per the agreement, the mills administration has pledged to pay the sugarcane farmers within the Tihar and the Chhath festivals this year under two tranches. nnnn BHADRAPUR FIRE CAUSES EXTENSIVE DAMAGE Kathmandu, 22 Sept. Property worth hundreds of thousands of rupees were gutted when fire broke out last night at the Annapurna Plywood Industry at Bhadrapur -4, in Jhapa district, RSS reports from Bhadrapur. The loss was estimated to be Rs. five million in the blaze that occurred due to electrical short circuit in the machine, said the District Police Office Jhapa. Raw materials, godown and machines have been gutted in fire. The fire came into control after five hours of efforts by the local people, fire engine, and police. nnnn