No cane SAP in U'khand, farmers up in arms

With the crushing season round the corner, the Uttarakhand government has not yet declared the state advisory price (SAP) for sugarcane creating resentment among farmers.

Farmers in various parts of the state, particularly in Hardiwar district, are up in arms asking the government to declare the SAP immediately and settle their dues. The farmers are also angry that some private mills have not yet settled their long-standing dues.

According to an estimate of the office of the sugarcane commissioner, a total of Rs 26 crore are still due on private mills.

Last October, in order to recover dues of farmers, the state government had sealed the godowns of the Uttam Sugar Mill in the district. For the recovery of dues from the mill, the sugarcane department had earlier issued a notice against it. But the mill failed to settle the dues of farmers.

As the godowns were sealed, the mill started paying the farmers their dues, officials here said.

However, officials claimed that most of the government-controlled mills in the state have settled their dues.

There are 10 sugarmills in Uttarakhand, of which six are in government and coopeartive sectors, while the rest are in the private sector.

Chief Minister BC Khanduri last month has also announced a package of Rs 56.3 crore for settling the sugarcane dues of farmers.

Last year, the government had issued a package of Rs 72 crore to settle the dues of farmers.

Meanwhile, the government is in the process of setting up an expert committee to fix the state advisory price (SAP) for sugarcane ahead of the crushing season. “We have noticed that Uttar Pradesh has already declared its sugarcane price. We will also take a decision accordingly,” said Additional Sugarcane Secretary CMS Bist.

The official said most of the sugar mills in the state would start crushing seasons on different dates, but before the end of November.