Cane growers protest in Karnal, Kaithal and Rohtak districts for SAP hike

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Karnal/Rohtak, December 25

Farmers held protests in Karnal, Kaithal and Rohtak districts on Sunday demanding that the state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane be hiked to Rs 450 per quintal from the existing Rs 362 per quintal.

In Karnal, farmers, under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), blocked the Karnal-Meerut road outside Karnal Cooperative Sugar Mill for an hour. They raised slogans against the government.

BKU (Mann) state president Rattan Mann said they served a one-week ultimatum on the state government last week in support of their demand, but the government did not take it seriously, forcing them to take this step.

Farmer leaders also demanded the sugar mills to pay an interest of 15 per cent to sugarcane farmers for delayed payment. Meanwhile, commuters had to face problems due to the protest. The police had to divert the traffic.

In Rohtak district, protests were held in front of the sugar mills at Bhali and Meham following a call given by the Cane Growers Sangh affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and other farmers’ outfits, including the BKU (Tikait).

They also disrupted vehicular traffic on the Rohtak-Bhiwani highway as a token protest against the government claiming that it had been turning a blind eye to the losses suffered by them.

Balwan Singh, convener of the Cane Growers Sangh, threatened to intensify the agitation, if their demands were not met. Preet Singh, Jai Bhagwan Nambardar and Sumit Singh also addressed the protesters on the occasion.