Uttarakhand has announced its state advised price (SAP) for sugarcane at Rs 250-255 a quintal, which is Rs 5 more than what farmers will get in Uttar Pradesh.
For the normal and early varieties, the price have been fixed at Rs 250 and 255 respectively which is Rs 5 more than that of Uttar Pradesh, chief minister B C Khanduri said here. The availability of the rejected variety is negligible in Uttarakhand.
The state government, however, did not make any commitment about bonus but asserted that the mills are independent to take a decision on this issue. With the announcement of the SAP, a couple of sugar mills in the state have started their crushing season also. The remaining sugar mills would also start functioning by the month end, said sugarcane secretary S S Rawat.
Experts said the announcement of SAP at Rs 250-255 was on expected lines as Uttarakhand’s price is always more than that of Uttar Pradesh.
The resentment had been growing among farmers against non-declaration of SAP during the past one month. Farmers were demanding SAP around Rs 250. Last year, the SAP was Rs 210-215.
Meanwhile, the government has also released Rs 15 crore to pay the dues of cane growers in the state.
