UP cane farmers demand hike in SAP

Uttar Pradesh cane farmers today demanded that the state government hike the State Advised Price (SAP) to the levels being offered by the neighbouring states of Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana.

The western UP cane farmers led by Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS) president V M Singh have laid siege of the state cane commissioner’s office here since yesterday on the issue. The Congress is also supporting the cane farmers’ cause.

“We demand the Mayawati government increase SAP to the level of about Rs 190-195/quintal from the present level of Rs 165-170,” Singh said addressing the media here this evening. The mills are already paying an incentive of Rs 45/quintal on SAP, which brings the effective cane price at present to Rs 210-215.

Singh further demanded the sugar mills pay the cane farmers the difference in the cane price from retrospective effect since the crushing started.

“Besides, some sugar mills are paying at higher levels than others, which is unacceptable and the cane commissioner should ensure that mills pay at equal levels,” he reiterated.

Singh underlined, since the cane commissioner passed the cane reservation order, it was his duty to facilitate proper cane price to farmers.

“Meanwhile, the cooperative and corporation mills are not paying the incentives to farmers unlike private mills,” he alleged.

At present, a total of 125 mills are crushing in UP, including 89, 25 and 11 units in the private, cooperative and corporation sectors respectively.

Singh reiterated if the mills failed to pay at this level, then the government should allow the farmers to sell their produce to any mill of choice or the retail prices of sugar are brought down to the level of Rs 25/kg from over Rs 36/kg at present. The farmers had initially demanded Rs 280/quintal, since retail sugar prices has doubled over last year prices.