Rohtak farmers seek hike in sugarcane price, threaten stir

Sugarcane farmers under the joint aegis of the All-India Kisan Sabha and the Bharatiya Kisan Union organised a panchayat on the Bhali Anandpur Sugar Mill premises on Thursday, demanding that the state government increase the sugarcane price to Rs 600 per quintal and accept their other demands.

After the meeting, the farmers staged a protest and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through the mill’s cane manager, Yashpal.

The panchayat presided over by Master Shamsher Bhali also demanded the supply of sugar to cane suppliers at subsidised “control rates” as was done earlier, reopening of the mill in the first week of November, availability of improved-quality seeds and drones for spraying pesticides, besides other demands.

The panchayat unanimously decided to coordinate with sugarcane committees of other mills and intensify the agitation if their demands were not accepted.

All India Kisan Sabha state general secretary Sumit Dalal said the farmers were being forced to bear heavy losses as the current sugarcane price did not cover their production costs. He alleged that the industries producing sugar and ethanol were earning profits while sugarcane growers continued to suffer losses.

“Sugarcane is currently priced at around Rs 4.15 per kg, while the price of sugar has reached nearly Rs 70 per kg. Under the present system, the farmers are not getting a fair return from their crop, forcing many to consider giving up sugarcane cultivation,” Dalal said.

He said sugarcane was an important annual crop for the farmers and demanded that the government ensured remunerative prices. He also criticised the Centre’s policies towards cooperative sugar mills and opposed the proposed free-trade agreement with the United States, claiming that such policies would adversely affect the Indian farmers.

The farm leaders warned that they would not hesitate to launch an agitation if the government failed to announce the demanded price hike. They said they would first coordinate with cane committees of different sugar mills and submit a memorandum to the Cooperation Minister before seeking an appointment with the Chief Minister.

“If the government still fails to address our demands, the agitation will be intensified and road blockades will also be considered. The farmers may also resort to locking the gates of sugar mills if necessary,” said one of the farm leaders.