Opposition flays state advisory price of sugarcane in UP

Condemning the State Advisory Price (SAP) of sugarcane announced by Uttar Pradesh government today, BJP said it would hold dharnas at all the district headquarters in the state tomorrow to press the government to accept its demand of hiking it to Rs 400 per quintal.

State unit president of the BJP Laxmikant Bajpai said dharnas would be staged all over the state to press for its demand of a SAP of Rs 400 per qunital for sugarcane.

Terming the SP government as "anti-farmers", Bajpai said the SAP announced today was inadequate. SAP is the price below which mills cannot buy cane from farmers.

Leader of BJP legislature party, Hukum Singh said the price announced by the government between Rs 275 to Rs 290 per quintal for 2012-13 was inadequate and anything less than Rs 350 would result in immense loss to cane growers.

After the rise in diesel and labour rates in the past one year, the amount spent by farmers over a cash crop like sugarcane have increased, besides the sugarmills are in a position to pay more because sugar prices have also gone up, he said.

National general secretary of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Jayant Chaudhary said that government has betrayed the farmers and the announced price is "unacceptable" to them.

Though the government has announced the SAP under pressure of the RLD, while deciding it they failed to safeguard the interests of farmers , Chaudhary said adding, instead the interest of mill owners has been ensured.

UPCC president Nirmal Khatri said cane price declared by the government was only about the cost that the farmers incur on growing it and that too about two months after the crushing season has started.

This only goes on to show the passive attitude of the government towards cane growers, Khatri said.

... contd.

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