After Punjab CM's assurance on SAP hike, sugarcane growers call off protest

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, November 24

The three-day protest by sugarcane growers has been called off after a “successful” meeting between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and farm leaders led by Manjit Singh Rai of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba).

Will announce it during Assembly session

The State Agreed Price will be announced during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha that begins on Tuesday. I will also hold a meeting with representatives of all private sugar mills on Saturday and get them on board for effecting a hike in SAP. Bhagwant Mann, CM

May be increased to Rs 390

The government had offered farmers a SAP of Rs 388 per quintal, as recommended by Punjab Agricultural University, but it may be increased to Rs 390 per quintal. Farmers hope that SAP will be fixed at Rs 400 per quintal

Though the State Agreed Price (SAP) of sugarcane for the 2023-24 cane-crushing season has not been announced, both sides claimed that it would be hiked and SAP would be the highest in the state. Haryana, so far, has the highest SAP of Rs 386 per quintal.

Sources say that the government had offered farmers a SAP of Rs 388 per quintal, as recommended by Punjab Agricultural University, but it could increase it to Rs 390 per quintal.

However, there is no word on SAP agreed upon by both sides. Though the cane-crushing season was to begin on November 21, CM Mann today said it would start from November 30. Manjit Singh Rai said they hoped that SAP would be increased to at least Rs 400 per quintal.

“The SAP will be announced during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha that begins on Tuesday. I will also hold a meeting with representatives of all private sugar mills on Saturday and get them on board for effecting a hike in SAP,” said Mann. The prices of sugar had gone up and private sugar mills were in a position to give a hike in SAP. The wholesale sugar prices at present range between Rs 3,700 and

Rs 3,800 per quintal.

It may be mentioned that 70 per cent of the cane in Punjab is crushed by the private sugar mills. After one private sugar mill at Dhuri shut shop last month, the state has six other mills. Last year, when SAP was increased by Rs 50, the state government had agreed to pay the enhanced SAP. As a result, the mills were paying Rs 330 per quintal to the farmers, while the state government paid the balance of Rs 50 per quintal to farmers.

One of the private sugar mill owners said the private sugar mill owners had held discussions and were convinced that they could not afford to pay the enhanced hike in SAP. “We are going to ask the government to bear any additional cost over and above Rs 330 per quintal this year too. The wholesale sugar prices are coming down and we will incur losses if we are forced to pay higher SAP than the wholesale price of sugar,” he said.

Coming as a big relief for commuters, the Jalandhar-Phagwara stretch of the National Highway along Dhannowali village got cleared after the farmers lifted dharna today.

Since Thursday noon, they had also blocked rail traffic, affecting 22 trains which had to be diverted through alternative and longer routes.

Ahead of their meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the farmers lifted dharna from the tracks around 11 am. Upon returning from Chandigarh here, they announced to lift dharna saying that the CM had given them an assurance on price hike. Finally, all tents, matresses, langar stalls, trolleys etc, which the farmers had used to block the highway, were removed. By 7 pm, the traffic through the stretch had become clear for all vehicular movement.

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