In a major sop to the sugarcane farmers ahead of the assembly elections, the Yogi Adityanath government is likely to give them a bonus of Rs 10 per quintal.
The state government has already announced a hike of Rs 25 per quintal in state advisory price (SAP) for sugarcane for the current season 2021-22. The hike will benefit 45 lakh sugarcane farmers across the state, particularly in western UP.
The sugarcane farmers are not impressed by the hike of Rs 25 per quintal in SAP as this has been the only hike in the last four seasons of sugarcane during the tenure of Yogi Adityanath government. Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi, had also recently taken up the cause of the sugarcane farmers, demanding the SAP at Rs 400 per quintal.
He had said in a tweet that the state government had increased the sugarcane price to Rs 350 per quintal, but it needs to be reconsidered. He demanded an increase in sugarcane price to at least Rs 400 per quintal. He also said that if this was not possible, the government should give a bonus of Rs 50 per quintal above the declared rate separately.
The Yogi Adityanath government in September had announced a hike of Rs 5 per quintal in the SAP of sugarcane, thus taking the state advisory price of sugarcane to Rs 325 per quintal.
During the last cane crushing season 2020-21, 119 sugar mills operated and besides sugar also, produced a large quantity of sanitiser and ethanol used for blending with petrol.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sugar industry came to a grinding halt in Brazil, which is the biggest sugar producer in the world. More than half of the sugar mills in Maharashtra and some mills in Karnataka were also closed down but normal operation of all 119 mills, including cooperative and private sugar mills, remained unaffected in UP.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party questioned the government’s move to give bonus to the farmers. SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said, “Sensing defeat in the UP assembly elections, the BJP government is trying to keep the farmers in good humour.”