Uttar Pradesh farmers have closed ranks against the sugarcane State Advised Price (SAP) for the 2009-10 crushing season and are determined not to supply cane to mills at such “low prices”.
The farmers, mainly led by Mahendra Singh Tikait’s Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and V M Singh’s Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS), today held a panchayat in Bareilly district of west UP on the issue.
“We have decided not to allow the import of raw sugar in UP and if it enters the state territory, it will be burnt,” BKU leader Rakesh Tikait told Business Standard.
On October 23, the state government had announced Rs 25 hike in the SAP over last year, although the farmers were demanding a price of Rs 280 per quintal of cane.
“Under no circumstances, we will supply cane to mills at this level, even if that means burning the standing crop in the fields,” V M Singh said.
Recently, farmers at some places had burnt the cane crop to protest the SAP level and prepare the field for rabi season.
“We had demanded a rate of Rs 280, since the retail sugar prices had more than doubled to Rs 35 per kg from last year. “Last year, the SAP was Rs 140, so we wanted Rs 280 this season, since the farmers had been incurring losses for the past several years,” he justified.
Besides, he claimed, the drought had halved the cane production and doubled the cost of farm input.
“While, the farmers have been handed over merely Rs 25 hike per quintal of cane, the sugar prices have appreciated by Rs 2,000 per quintal,” he maintained.
Singh reiterated the farmers were ready to burn their crop again. He further opposed the idea of Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) being considering by the Centre over and above the Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of cane.
“While the government allows the mills to double their profits, the farmers have been deprived of right to fix price of its produce,” he lamented.
Singh claimed the power crushers and kolhu had been paying cane farmers over Rs 220 per quintal. However, after the announcement of SAP, they were now paying between Rs 170-175.
“We will also not allow the closure of power crushers and kolhu,” Tikait said adding the future strategy for an agitation would be charted out in the next couple of days.
Recently, Cane Commissioner Sudhir M Bowde said licence was not needed for kolhu and the government had not put any ban on crushing by them.
The SAP stands at Rs 165 per quintal for common variety, Rs 170 for early variety and Rs 162.50 for rejected variety. Last year, the SAP for common and early varieties stood at Rs 140 and Rs 145 respectively.
Almost 80 per cent of the sugarcane crop is of common variety, while early and rejected varieties account for about 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.
The SMP announced by the Centre is Rs 107 for the current season.
