Cane politics in UP to dominate crushing season ahead of LS polls
Bijnor: Uttar Pradesh’s sugarcane crushing season is set to kick off in the final week of October, with 122 mills prepared to process sugarcane cultivated on 29 lakh hectares of land. “This year, three additional mills have been added to the existing 119. Out of them, one is in Noorpur, Bijnor and two others in Saharanpur. Most of the mills are ready to run,” said UP ‘s additional cane commissioner VK Shukla. However, there is still a significant backlog of at least Rs 3,000 crore in dues from the previous season that farmers have yet to receive.
Farmers in UP have been persistently demanding an increase in the State Advised Price (SAP) for sugarcane, pushing for it to be raised to Rs 450 per quintal. Currently, the price for early varieties of sugarcane is Rs 350 per quintal. Notably, the SAP has seen an increase of Rs 35 per quintal during the BJP government’s tenure in UP from 2017 to 2021. The government raised it by Rs 10 per quintal in the 2017-18 crushing season and later by Rs 25 in the 2021-2022 season. Last year, SAP was prolonged due to certain circumstances.
Reportedly, farmer organizations are planning agitations to ensure their demands are met ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The sugarcane crop, especially in the Western UP districts, is of paramount importance to UP’s politics where around 45 lakh farmers from at least 44 districts cultivate sugarcane. Among them, 28 districts are major sugarcane-producing regions. The political implications of cane production make this issue especially significant in an election year. There is hope that the government will increase the SAP, considering the election season and a positive trend in the sugar market.
Talking to TOI, state president of BKU Arajnaitik ‘s youth wing, Digambar Singh said, “This year, unfavourable weather and the impact of red rot disease have harmed the sugarcane crop. Many farmers are financially strained due to losses, and some mills have not paid last year’s dues. If prices are not hiked, we will stage protests.” Meanwhile, Rajendra Singh, BKU state vice president, said, “Government should clear its stand on cane SAP for 2023-24 soon.”
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