After waiving loan of Rs 1 lakh of farmers and announcing to procure I lakh metric tones of potato, State government has now fixed a deadline of April 23 for the sugar mills to pay all the dues to the cane farmers, failing which they will have to face the music.
The Yogi Adityanath government in its order on Friday night also ordered a high-level probe into the sale of 21 sugar mills by the previous Mayawati government between 2007-12 due to which the state exchequer faced a financial loss of Rs 1,100 crore. The CM also hinted that the government could also recommend for a CBI probe into the matter. The government has also directed all the 116 sugar mills in the state to adopt one village each for its all round development.
Appreciating the act of the State government, the BJP claimed that now the people, particularly the farmers, would be feeling what the rule of law seems to be. UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak in a statement here claimed that the decisions of the Yogi government were unprecedented and it will certainly benefit the cane farmers after the government went for the farm loan waiver scheme to the tune of over Rs 36,000 crores. ‘’By fixing the deadline of April 23, the BJP government has proved its commitment towards the cane farmers and was fulfilling the promises made during the Assembly elections,” he further said. He said that ordering all the sugar mills to develop one village each in their region will also boost the development in the rural areas.
During review meeting with the officials of the cane development, Adityanath also directed for reopening all the closed down sugar mills during the next crushing season. Two sugar mills would also start their ethonal plant within next 100 days, he said. The total dues of the cane farmers was Rs 5841.33 crores with 75.57 per cent of payment made to the growers so far during the current crushing season, which was near to end. According to UP Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA), against the total due of Rs 23908.08 crores, the mills have paid Rs 18,066.75 crores so far with one mill of corporation sector paying 91.96 per cent of dues, cooperative sector — 74.29 per cent of their dues and the corporate sector mills —- 75.62 per cent of dues. UP sugar mills, including one of corporation, 24 of the cooperative sector and remaining 91 of the corporate or private have crushed 7795.75 lakh quintal of sugarcane and produced 823.02 lakh quintals of sugar so far.