Farmers Movement Archive

Desperate farmers selling cane to jaggery units at discount, as mills withhold last year’s dues

Bijnor: Cane farmers are rushing to private jaggery units or kolhus to sell their produce at a discounted price, what with this season’s crop ripening in the fields and west UP mills still withholding substantial dues of farmers from the last season. Kolhus pay Rs 230-250 per quintal of sugarcane, whereas the state-advised price (SAP) for mills is Rs 315. With cane ripening in the field, kolhus have begun operations while sugar mills are scheduled to begin crushing from mid-October. The area under sugarcane cultivation in UP is 27.38 lakh hectares. The state has 119 sugar mills, mostly concentrated in west UP. In all, 40 lakh farmers are directly or indirectly involved in cane farming in the state. Cane dues are a burning issue for every government, and sugar mills are yet to clear Rs 8,500 crore dues from last year.SAP for the coming crushing season is yet to be announced. Farmers are demanding it be hiked from Rs 325 to Rs 450 per quintal. They were already up in arms against the government over the Centre’s farm bills. Now, they are eyeing a hike in sugarcane SAP.Across UP, over 8,000 kolhus and crushers have started crushing cane. Kolhu owners are purchasing crop at Rs 230-250 per quintal, while jaggery is sold at Rs 3,500-3,600 per quintal. Mills sell sugar at Rs 3,250 per quintal.According to sugarcane grower Jitendra Kumar, a resident of Madhusudanpur, “Sugar mills have failed to clear Rs 8,500 crore in dues from last year. They are yet to start operating, while kolhus are crushing cane from September. In such desperate conditions, farmers are being compelled to sell their produce at low rates to kolhu owners.”District cane officer Yashpal Singh said, “Mill officials have been asked to clear all dues. I hope they will do it soon.”

The Times of India

2020-10-08

Meerut