Lucknow: Raising the issue of not hiking sugarcane prices, the opposition parties including SP, BSP and Congress members alleged that the government has failed to meet the promise of doubling farmer income. They staged a walkout when cane minister Suresh Rana was explaining that during BJP rule, sugarcane farmers condition has been improved. He stated that 29 sugar mills were shut down in the last ten years, but after BJP came to power, it took so many steps to boost cane farming that land under cultivation had increased from 20 lakh hectare in 2017 to 28 lakh hectare at present.
Objecting the statement, SP MLC Shashank Singh said that the cane cultivation has decreased 12 per cent.
Rana said, “The government after coming to power has cleared dues from last six years and has paid farmers around Rs 77,000 crore. We have started 6 out of 29 closed mills. We have also reduced cane carrying price and cracked down on the mafia.”
UP government had fixed sugarcane SAP (State Advisory Price) at Rs 315 per quintal (for normal variety of sugarcane) for crushing season 2019-2020. Likewise, SAP for low and high grades cane price are at Rs 305 and Rs 325 per quintal, respectively.
Sugarcane growers in Uttar Pradesh claim that the cost of sugarcane production is increased; therefore, there is a need to hike cane price. They had demanded to fix the sugarcane price at Rs 400 per quintal.
