Blaming previous BSP Government and the Congress-led UPA Government for the plight of cane farmers and cane industry alike Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said had these governments taken effective steps farmers and industries might have flourished in Uttar Pradesh.
"Where we are today it is because of the faulty policies of the BSP and the UPA. Both the governments are anti-farmers and did not want sugar industry to progress in Uttar Pradesh," Yadav said while inaugurating the Mohiuddinpur sugar mill in Meerut on Sunday. The mill which comes under state run co-operative sector started operation after its renovation. The opening of this mill also kicked-off the new cane crushing season in the state.
Elaborating his charges Chief Minister said BSP government sold the properties of the sugar mills at a throwaway price while on the other hand Centre did nothing to ban the import of sugar to protect the farmers and sugar mills. The CM on the occasion assured that the Samajwadi Party government will protect the interest of the cane farmers as well as the sugar mills. "Both the cane farmers and the sugar industries areinter-linked and the Government is committed to promote both of them," he said.
"We are looking at the options that could benefit both the farmers and the sugar mills," he said. UP government had recently announced the cane price without any increase from the last year of Rs 275, Rs 280 and Rs 290 per quintal for three varieties. However political parties including RlD and BJP were demanding Rs 350 per quintal cane price.
Private sugar mills in UP are agitating over the price of cane and they have refused to accept the price of Rs 280 per quintal for normal variety and said that they are only ready to pay Rs 225 per quintal. On the other hand the cane farmers of Meerut and nearby places had announced that they will not give their canes to the mills of the state and instead they will sell it in Haryana where the rate is Rs 300 per quintal.
However, Yadav had to face rough time in Meerut when Rahstriya lok Dal (RlD) activists, who had assembled at the government function, raised anti-government slogans for not increasing theprice of the sugarcane. Police used mild force and later arrested some of the activists. RlD MlA from Ghaziabad Sudesh Sharma was also arrested in Modinagar along with his supporters when they were going to Meerut to disrupt CM's programme.