Uttar Pradesh invites sugarcane farmers for talks (Lead)
December 1st, 2009 - 10:07 pm ICT by IANS ( 1 comment )Lucknow, Dec 1 (IANS) Bucking under pressure from sugarcane farmers who held a rally in Lucknow Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government invited them for talks and asked officials to take necessary steps within two days for providing them an adequate price for their produce.
Led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) general secretary Rakesh Tikait, a section of farmers met Shailesh Krishna, the principal secretary to Chief Minister Mayawati, and other senior officials, and asked them to set a price of at least Rs. 215-220 for a quintal of sugarcane.
“They have assured us to take necessary steps for re-fixing the state advisory price (SAP) of sugarcane within two days,” Rakesh Tikait, who is also the BKU national spokesperson, told reporters in Lucknow.
“The state government has directed the divisional commissioners to hold talks with sugar mills officials in their divisions so that farmers get an adequate price for their produce,” he added.
Welcoming the state government’s move to invite them for talks, the BKU, however, made it clear that if the government failed to solve the issue within the stipulated time, sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh would sell their produce to Uttarakhand and Haryana.
“We are all set to divert our crops to the mills of Uttarakhand and Haryana, where the state farmers would get an adequate price for the produce. If the government today fails to take necessary steps, we will have no other option than to sell the produce to other states,” Tikait said.
The meeting between the farmers and the government officials continued for nearly two hours Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, armed with sugarcane stems, thousands of farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh arrived here in jam-packed trains to demonstrate against the sugarcane pricing policy of the state government.
BKU president Mahendra Singh Tikait also addressed a panchayat in Lucknow, where he called upon the farmers to continue fight for their rights till their demands were met.
“I just know that someone, senior officials or ministers should invite us for the talks to solve our problems,” he told reporters here at the Charbagh railway station.
“If it doesn’t happen, we will continue to fight for our rights,” the BKU chief added.
The BKU has asked farmers to send their crop to sugar mills in Uttarakhand, which have agreed to pay Rs.215-220 per quintal.
Rejecting the state’s declared support price of Rs.165-170 a quintal, sugarcane farmers across Uttar Pradesh have been on a warpath for two months, as they want at least Rs.220 per quintal for their produce.
On Nov 19, thousands of farmers from the state gathered in the national capital to raise the issue, which has figured several times in parliament as well.
- Sugarcane farmers hold demonstrations in Lucknow - Dec 01, 2009
- Uttar Pradesh farmers to sell sugarcane in other states - Nov 27, 2009
- Mayawati announces steep hike in sugarcane price - Nov 08, 2011
- Uttar Pradesh sugarcane farmers intensify agitation - Nov 13, 2009
- Now, Congress demands higher sugarcane price - Dec 12, 2009
- UP farmers block train to protest against non-lucrative sugarcane prices - Nov 01, 2009
- Sugarcane farmers want state control over pricing to go - Oct 29, 2009
- Uttar Pradesh farmers call off stir for higher sugarcane price - Dec 18, 2009
- PM assures farmers that their interests will be protected - Mar 08, 2011
- Tikait, a farmers' leader who mastered the art of mass protests (Obituary) - May 15, 2011
- Farmers lay siege to Delhi to protest sugarcane prices (Lead) - Nov 19, 2009
- Famers' interests are paramount: PM - Mar 08, 2011
- Sugarcane stir hots up in Uttar Pradesh - Dec 17, 2009
- Farmer leader Tikait dies (Lead) - May 16, 2011
- Farmers vandalise sugar mill offices over sugarcane pricing - Nov 19, 2009
Tags: bku, chief minister, general secretary, government officials, kisan, krishna, mahendra singh, Mayawati, national spokesperson, necessary steps, panchayat, principal secretary, quintal, rakesh, senior officials, state farmers, state government, sugar mills, sugarcane farmers, uttar pradesh government
December 1st, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Suggestion’s -By Ravindra Singh Advocate
UP Government should revise the state advised price/ sugarcane price Crushing Season 2009-2010-say’s Ravindra Singh Advocate Allahabad High Court
Ravindra Singh Advocate representing cane unions/cane growers suggests revision of sugarcane price at least at the rate which is being announced by the neighboring states, Punjab, uttrakhand and haryana and being offered by the sugar factories of these states, he said that considering the huge profit earned by the sugar mills from the sugarcane produced by the cane growers the state government should revise the sugarcane price in exercise of power conferred to it by the supreme court in2004 judgment as well as under the state enactment, particularly section 16 of the UP Sugarcane (Regulation of Supply and Purchase) Act,1953 and Form-C Appendix to the purchase order, 1954 which contemplates fixation of cane price from time to time. He said that there is no legal impediment for the state to revise the SAP in view of the profit of margin earned by the sugar mills from the high sugar prices, including the prices of bye products, he said that sugar prices have risen by more than 100 per cent Rs 40 per quintal in one year, while sugar cane acreage fell 21 per cent, sugar cane production fell by 22 per cent and expected sugar shortfall is higher at 45 per cent from 280 lakh tones in 2007 to 150 lakh tones this year,” “The main reason for this is the diversion of sugarcane towards production of ethanol and jaggery. On December 28, 2008, the government diluted the Sugar Control Order 1966 to permit ethanol production directly from sugarcane juice. Earlier it was produced only from molasses. Since Oct 2007 government has made 5 percent mixing and since October 2008, 10 percent mixing of ethanol in petrol compulsory to promote sale of ethanol. Poor man’s food being converted to rich man’s fuel,
It is relevant to state that detailed average Costs of Cultivation, depending on actual Production Costs incurred by Cane farmers is required to be worked out as per recommendations of Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Minimum 50% Production Costs should be added in the sugarcane price. The wages of agricultural labour, inputs costs, and harvest and transport charges has been abnormally increased, he further said that return to the grower’s from alternative crops and the general trend of prices of agricultural commodities is also required to be looked into while determining the SAP. Mr. Singh said that the support price for paddy has been hiked by Rs.100 per quintal, while that for pulses is up Rs.300 per quintal, The support price for common paddy will now go up to Rs.950 per quintal from Rs.850, while that for the A grade variety will be Rs.980, The minimum support price per quintal for tur dal has gone up from Rs.2,000 to Rs.2,300, for moong dal, it is up from Rs.2,520 to Rs.2,760 and for sesame it is up from Rs.2,750 to Rs.2,850.India had logged record food grain production during 2008-09 (July-June), which was estimated at 233.87 million tones. But the failure of monsoon this season, on which 60 percent of Indian agriculture depends has cast a shadow on this year’s crop.
Ravindra Singh
Advocate
Standing Counsel/Representing
U. P. Co operative Cane Union Fed Ltd
/Cane Union’s
Email;singhravindra25@gmail.com
27.11.2009 Mobile; 9889288999