Sugarcane growers in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly being harassed by millers, resorted to distress sale as the state government failed to ensure minimum support price for them. The sugarcane policy formed by the state government last year has not provided any relief to farmers. | |
| The matter rocked the state Assembly when Jalam Singh Patel and Sunilam, both MLAs, raised the issue. |
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| They alleged the farmers were being harassed and compelled to sell cane at Rs 40 per quintal against the minimum support price of Rs 82 per quintal. |
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| The farmers of Betul and Narsinghpur districts are the worst sufferers, alleged Patel. The Khandsari millers (small mills that produce raw sugar) and sugar mills were offering a maximum of Rs 90 per quintal. |
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| "The procurement price has been stagnant for the last three years," he said, and added, "Farmers must be offered Rs 140-148 per quintal as recommended by Agriculture Science Center, Narsinghpur." |
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| The sugar mills are scattered at different points. As a result, farmers do not get transport subsidy which is calculated on a kilometer basis. "The state government's plan to offer transport subsidy to cane-growers has not come out of the drawing board," Patel said. |
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| The farmers had set their fields ablaze and had destroyed one-third of the total crop during the last three years, the MLAs alleged. |
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| However, while brushing aside the allegation, State Agriculture Minister Gopal Bhargava said sugar mills were procuring cane at a minimum of Rs 81.18 per quintal. However, khandsari millers were procuring cane at the price on which the farmers had agreed, he claimed. |
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| He also denied that Agriculture Science Center had recommended any price for cane growers. Instead, it had conducted an analysis of cane production viability, he said. |
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| He informed the House that a transport subsidy of Rs 2.77 crore had been disbursed to 4,262 farmers during 2006-07. The transport subsidy is effective from March last year. |
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| The crop acreage, according to him, had gone up from 63,200 hectares in 2006-07 to 92,800 hectares during 2007-08. "Mills in the private sector are also likely to come up in the days to come," the minister said. |
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