UP farmers demand uniform cane price

Urge state government to instruct mills on equal payment

Uttar Pradesh cane farmers today demanded that uniform cane price should rule all over the state, claiming inequality in the price levels being offered by different sugar mills.

They have urged the state government to check this discrepancy and direct all the mills to pay equally to the cane growers.

A meeting was held here today by the UP Cane Cooperative Societies to discuss this and other similar issues.

“The unequal cane price being offered by private mills is against justice and we want the government to intervene,” Societies’ Chairmen Union president Shrikant Singh told Business Standard.

“We demand the mills pay the highest rate prevailing in the state and it should be made effective from the date the crushing has started,” he added.

Singh said if the mills failed to pay at this level, then the government should allow the farmers to sell his produce to any mill of choice. He claimed that Venus sugar mill in Moradabad was paying almost Rs 230/quintal, while mills in Uttarakhand were paying in the region of Rs 225/quintal.

“Besides, we want that the societies’ commission should be protected,” he added.

The Union also presented a memorandum to UP cane commissioner Sudhir M Bobde.

Meanwhile, cane farmers led by Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (RKMS) president V M Singh and others have announced a demonstrationnear the cane commissioner’s office on Wednesday to press for better cane prices. Senior Congress functionaries such as AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi would be present.

Earlier, the UP Sugar Mills’ Association (UPSMA) had hiked the incentive to Rs 35/quintal over the State Advised Price (SAP) of Rs 165-170 for common and early variety respectively.

The farmers had initially demanded Rs 280/quintal, since the retail sugar prices had doubled from last year. Last year, SAP had stood at Rs 140/quintal for common variety.

There are 157 sugar mills in UP, of which 93 belong to the private sector. However, only about 132 are in working condition and had participated in the 2008-09 crushing season.