Haryana : Ambala farmers meet Agri Minister, demand hike in sugarcane prices
A delegation of Ambala farmers met Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, demanding a hike in sugarcane prices to ₹500 per quintal, citing rising input costs. They also sought increased fertiliser allocations and resolution of registration issues on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal. Farmers urged compensation for paddy losses from flooding and dwarf virus.
A delegation of farmers from Ambala and nearby districts met Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana in Chandigarh on Tuesday to raise several issues being faced by them related to paddy, sugarcane and the availability of fertilisers.
They also demanded a hike in the prices of sugarcane and adequate stocks of DAP and urea, and submitted memorandums in support of their demands.
Vinod Rana, president of Ganna Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, said “The cost of production of sugarcane has been increasing continuously due to increasing prices of insecticides, fertilisers, fuel and labour charges. The government has been requested to increase the state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane to Rs 500 per quintal. Due to increasing expenses, the farmers have been shifting to other crops and it will have an adverse impact on the sugarcane and sugar production in the state.”
“We have also requested the minister to take over the Naraingarh Sugar Mills, a private mill currently being run under state government’s supervision, and bring its operations under the HAFED. The minister has assured us that he would take some positive decision soon. The delegation has also informed the Agriculture Minister that the urea and DAP being allocated by the government was inadequate as they grew three crops (paddy, potato or mustard and sugarcane or sunflower). Currently, two bags of DAP and six bags of urea per acre per year have been allocated to the farmers and that these should be increased to four bags of DAP and 10 bags of urea. Even the agricultural universities recommend higher amount of fertiliser for high yielding wheat crop varieties,” he added.
The farm leader further said Punjab residents, who also owned agricultural land in Haryana, had been facing difficulties in getting their crops registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, due to which they would not be able to sell their produce in grain market.
Singara Singh, a farmer, said, “I belong to Punjab but I also have 43 acres of land in Samlehri village of Ambala. For the past 26 years, I have been cultivating the land. As per the directions of the Haryana Government, I also register my crop on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal every year, but this year, I have been unable to register my crop, due to which I will not be able to sell my produce and get fertilisers for my crop. I have requested the minister to get the issue resolved.”
Meanwhile, as the paddy farmers have been suffering losses due to the southern rice black streaked dwarf virus, and earlier due to waterlogging, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has requested the government state to conduct a survey to assess the losses.
As per the BKU (Charuni), the paddy crop in Kurukshetra, Ambala, Karnal, Kaithal, Jind, Panipat, Sonepat, Rohtak and Yamunanagar have been affected by the dwarf virus.
BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said, “The farmers are in no position to tackle the issue of dwarf virus and it will cause yield loss. Earlier, due to heavy rains and overflowing of rivers, the paddy fields were submerged causing losses to the paddy crop. The government should get a survey done to assess the losses and announce adequate compensation. A letter has been sent to the Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in this regard.”
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Source : The Tribune
