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A tense situation is likely to emerge in the politically sensitive western Uttar Pradesh, as the sugarcane growers are still not ready to accept the plans of the State and Union governments and also the popular sugar lobby.
The prices declared by the state government of Uttar Pradesh have already been disapproved by the cultivators. Several districts like Bijnor, Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Muzaffar Nagar witnessed protests. The farmers burnt sugarcane in the areas to show their disapproval. They may also reject the fair and remunerative price (FRP) that is to be decaled by the Centre.
The sources in Lucknow say that the FRP is expected to be declared soon.
The farmers and their representatives consider both the measures as a “sellout” to the owners of the sugar mills.
A Kisan Mahapanchayat organized in Bareilly declared it would fight back the quantum of sugarcane rate. The Mahapanchayat witnessed the presence of Mahendra Singh Tikait, the Bhartiya Kisan Union leader; V.M. Singh, President of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Union; Baba Harikrishna Malik and farmers in large numbers.
Mr. Singh asserted that the farmers will not accept a rate which is less than Rs.280 per quintal. He said, “We want to rescue the farmers from the clutches of the State and Central governments. We have declared our own price and if the mill owners refuse to pay the price, the farmers prefer to burn the sugarcane in the fields”.
Preetam Chaudhary, President of Western Uttar Pradesh Cane Growers Society, said “The State government has stabbed the growers in the back and the Central ordinance on the fixation of fair and remunerative price will throttle the farmers”.
Mr. Chaudhary told when the Parliament session starts from November 19, the MPs from the cane growing areas of the State will face gheraos by the farmers. He further said, “A consensus has to emerge for applying pressure on the Central government to withdraw the ordinance and prevent it from being tabled in Parliament”.
It is believed that the Centre’s move to decide on the procural price of cane, which would make the SAP inapplicable, will not only be harmful to the farmers, but the sugarcane produce in both the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the nation as well.
The recent crisis in the sugarcane industry concurs with the decrease in the sugarcane growing area from 21.40 lakh hectares in the period 2008-09 to 17.88 lakh hectares in the period 2009-10. As a consequence, the production is also witnessing a fall of about 980.00 lakh tonne in 2009-10 in comparison to 1107.82 lakh tonne in 2008-09. The Hindu
October 30, 2009
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