Sugar row: Crushing on,UP rules out SAP hike

The Uttar Pradesh government has ruled out the possibility of a hike in the State Advisory Price (SAP) of sugarcane....

The Uttar Pradesh government has ruled out the possibility of a hike in the State Advisory Price (SAP) of sugarcane. UPs Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said 14 sugar mills have commenced cane crushing in the state while another 13 had made necessary preparations.

Addressing a press conference here,Singh claimed UP sugar mills have procured 6.5 lakh quintals of cane,of which 4.5 lakh quintals has already been crushed. According to him,the cane crushing works have commenced in nine private sugar mills,four of the UP Sugar Cooperative Federation and one owned by the UP State Sugar Corporation.

It may be recalled that UP had announced an SAP between Rs 162.50 and Rs 170 per quintal for different varieties of sugarcane. On November 13,the state government persuaded the UP Sugar Mills Association to pay an additional Rs 15 per quintal as cane development incentive,effectively taking the SAP to Rs 180 per quintal.

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On UPs decision to ban the transportation of imported raw sugar within the state of UP in the wake of the farmers protest,Singh said Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had written to the state requesting it to allow the transportation of imported sugar. He said the state has requested the Centre not to send the imported sugar in the state till the conclusion of the cane crushing season in March.

With the UPA governments new fair and remunerative price (FRP) at just Rs 129.84 per quintal,farmers organisations have already made it clear that they would not settle for a price below Rs 280 per quintal.

Singh said the government has directed Divisional Commissioners to take the initiative and ensure the cane

development initiative is paid to the farmers. Farmers should get the maximum price while the mill owners problems should also be solved, he explained.

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