Farmers in West Champaran district staged a protest on Friday, burning the effigy of the sugarcane minister near the subdivision headquarters in Bagaha, accusing the state government of announcing only a nominal hike in sugarcane prices, reported The Times of India.
Dozens of farmers assembled at the protest site, alleging that the Bihar government had gone back on its assurances. They demanded that the minimum support price for sugarcane be fixed at no less than ₹400 per quintal.
Chhote Srivastava, state secretary of the Sugarcane Cultivators Association, said farmers in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh were receiving ₹400 per quintal for sugarcane, while diesel prices there were nearly ₹8 per litre lower than in Bihar. As a result, he said, the cost of cultivation in Bihar had risen significantly. He referred to a letter issued by the state’s sugarcane department announcing an increase of ₹15 per quintal for premium-grade sugarcane and ₹20 per quintal for medium-grade sugarcane, describing the move as “a fraud on farmers.” Even after the revision, he said, the price of high-quality sugarcane would be only ₹380 per quintal, which remains below the cost of production.
Another farmer, Naresh Prasad, said expenses related to ploughing, irrigation and transportation had increased sharply due to high diesel prices, while sugarcane rates had not been raised in proportion. This, he said, had pushed cultivators into financial distress. Protesters warned that if their demands were not met, they would intensify their agitation in the coming days and might even halt sugarcane sowing.
Suresh Ram, a farmer from the region, said a large section of the population in Bagaha depends on agriculture, with most families relying on sugarcane cultivation for their livelihood. Despite sugarcane being a cash crop, he said, farmers were feeling frustrated and helpless due to the absence of a remunerative price.
