Shamli tops in UP cane productivity, but ‘worst in payments’; farmers protest
SHAMLI: Shamli district has clinched the top spot in sugarcane productivity in Uttar Pradesh, with a record-breaking 1025.12 quintals per hectare during the 2022-23 crushing season. Three districts of West UP have topped in the arena are Muzaffarnagar and Meerut , including Shamli.
According to the data released by the sugar industry and Sugarcane Development Department, UP, the total sugarcane productivity in the state in the crushing season 2022-23 has been 839.48 quintals per hectare. Muzaffarnagar with 948.84 quintals per hectare and Meerut with 914.95 quintals per hectare have second and third place in productivity respectively. Despite this, Shamli district finds itself in a sticky situation when it comes to receiving payments. Local farmers are caught in a predicament as sugar mills fail to make timely payments for the sugarcane they purchase, leading to farmer protests.
District cane officer, Vijay Bahadur, said that during the 2022-23 crushing season, Shamli mill paid only Rs 103.88 crores out of a due Rs 348.19 crores for sugar cane. Additionally, the Unn Sugar Mill paid Rs 221.66 crores against the owed Rs 338.71 crore, while Thana Bhawan Sugar Mill made a payment of Rs 206.85 crore out of a total of Rs 440.47 crores.
He further said that we are making all possible efforts so that farmers receive their payment on time. Meanwhile, the three mill officers have claimed that their economic position is bad, and the payment is getting delayed.
Farmers have been protesting daily for the last 18 days, and have demanded that they should be allowed to send their sugarcane to mills in other districts.
On Wednesday, amid the farmer’s protest, a Mahapanchayat was held that was attended by Bharatiya Kisan Union, national president, Naresh Tikait, farmer leaders and Khap Choudhary along with the officials. But they failed to figure out a solution. “Farmers are being harassed. If BJP government comes to power in 2024, farmers will not be able to survive,” Tikait said.
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