Demand bailout for electricity dues, announcement of SAP
Farmers in Uttarakhand are up in arms against the state government for ignoring their demands which include a bailout package for electricity dues and early announcement of state advised price (SAP).
Farmers, under the banner of Uttarakhand Kisan Morcha (UKM),held demonstrations in various parts of the state, particularly in Haridwar, where they blocked the Delhi-Haridwar national highway.
Rakesh Agarwal, general secretary of UKM in a memorandum demanded that the state must fix the SAP at Rs 200-250 per quintal for the next crushing season which begins from November. The farmers are also seeking a bailout package by waiving off penalties on their electricity bills.
Last year, the Uttarakhand government had fixed the SAP for ordinary sugarcane at Rs 143 per quintal and Rs 148 for the early variety for the year 2008-09. But this year, the government set up an expert committee to declare the SAP. Officials said the committee was likely to give its recommendations this month and the SAP would be declared before the start of the crushing season.
When contacted, Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pande said the government was trying to declare SAP before the start of the crushing season. “We are waiting for the recommendations of the expert committee for declaring SAP,” Pande said.
The sugarcane production, which touched 785 lakh quintals last year, is now estimated at 630 lakh quintals during the 2008-09, official statistics said. Similarly, the sugarcane area in the state has also been reduced by 20 per cent, which is now being estimated at 1.07 lakh hectares.
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Significantly, farmers in various parts of the state particularly in Haridwar district are up in arms asking the government to declare the SAP and settle their dues. The farmers are also angry that some private mills have not yet settled their longstanding dues.
According to an estimate of the office of the Sugarcane Commissioner, a total of Rs 26 cores are still due on private mills.