Farmers anxious as Haryana govt yet to fix sugarcane prices

Almost a week has gone by since the crushing season of sugarcane began, but the state government is yet to decide the state advisory prices (SAP) of sugarcane for the year 2016-17.

This has reportedly affected farmers as almost all private and cooperative sugarmills have started crushing operations and there is no clarity when they will make payments to the farmers.

“If the government does not announce sugarcane prices on time, mills will delay payments to the farmers, who are already hard-pressed following the steep fall in prices of basmati rice,” said Praveen Kumar, a farmer of Karnal district.

Despite regular demands of sugarcane farmers, the present government in its two-year tenure has not announced any hike in SAP for sugarcane.

In September 2014, the then Congress government had increased the SAP for sugarcane by ₹10 per quintal. The prices for early, mid and lateral varieties were fixed at ₹310, ₹305 and ₹300 respectively.

On its part, the Manohar Lal Khattar government has held several meetings, but failed to increase the prices of sugarcane.

Officials in the state agriculture department said meetings between department officials and representatives of private and cooperative sugarmills were held.

However, the chief minister has authorised agriculture minister OP Dhankar to decide sug-

DESPITE DEMANDS OF FARMERS, THE PRESENT GOVT IN ITS TWOYEAR TENURE HAS NOT ANNOUNCED ANY HIKE IN SAP FOR SUGARCANE

arcane prices.

There is no information yet about if and when Dhankar will announce changes in SAP for sugarcane.

Farmers’ unions in the state have been demanding a hike of ₹60 per quintal of sugarcane and have also threatened to start a statewide protest if the government fails to announce SAP soon.

“Earlier, the government had decided that sugarmills could be run on ‘no profit, no loss’ if the prices of sugar remained at ₹33 per kg. But now, the prices of sugar have gone up to ₹40 per kg, and we should be given some profit as well by increasing the sugarcane prices to ₹60 per quintal,” the farmers said.

However, the owners of private mills are not in favour of the hike.

“The government has not raised sugarcane prices so far. The neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh hiked the SAP for sugarcane by ₹25 per quintal in November,” said Ratan Mann, president Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union.

He added that after holding a meeting at Radaur, the union will soon start a statewide protests if the government fails to accept their demands.