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The latest data shows that the net sugarcane arrears have piled up to over Rs 10,000 crore on the basis of state-advised price this season as against Rs 7,222 crore in 2017-18

Ajay Kumar Rathi is a middle-aged farmer from Shahjanpur village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh.  He cultivates sugarcane in his 6-acre farm, and in non-cane season, he grows wheat.

For years he has been selling his sugarcane to a sugar mill in Modinagar. But, the last time he received payment was May 2018, and in the 2018-19 sugarcane crushing season, which started in October, nothing has been paid to him so far.

“I owe almost Rs 400,000 from last year and an equal amount this year,” Kumar said and also complained that farm costs haven’t gone down despite promises by the