Several sugar mills in Haryana have been forced to close down cane crushing operations as a section of farmers protesting for a hike in sugarcane price has decided to stop supplies for indefinite period.
Farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) had stopped supplying sugarcane to mills including private ones on January 5, as the Haryana Government did not agree to their demand of increasing State Advisory Price (SAP) for sugarcane for 2012-13.
“We will continue our agitation for indefinite period under which cane supply to all sugar mills in Haryana have been stopped unless State Government accedes to our demand,” Haryana BKU President, Gurnam Singh, said on Monday.
Sugarcane farmers are demanding over Rs 350 a quintal as SAP for cane, saying the current rates offered by State Government did not cover even the input cost. “We want the State Government to raise the cane price to Rs 350 a quintal, as suggested by the M S Swaminathan Committee report, which suggested 50 per cent of total cost be added to price to be given to growers as profit,” Singh said.
He said the input cost for sugarcane in Haryana was pegged at Rs 236 a quintal.
The Haryana Government is giving Rs 251 a quintal for early maturing varieties of sugarcane, Rs 240 for mid-maturing varieties and Rs 235 for late maturing varieties.
With supply to sugar mills being affected because of farmers’ protest across Haryana, several sugar mills in Haryana were forced to close down cane crushing operations because of lack of cane supply.
“The supply of cane to co-operative mills has been hit because of farmers’ agitation and cane crushing in some of the mills have come to a standstill,” a senior official of Haryana cane department said adding that agitating farmers are not allowing other farmers in Meham, Kaithal, Jind and Sonepat to bring cane to mills.
Haryana has 10 sugar mills in co-operative sector, three in private sector and one is owned by State-owned Hafed.
Farmers said that the Uttar Pradesh Government was paying Rs 290 for early variety, Rs 280 for mid variety and Rs 275 for late varieties.
“We want the Haryana Government should pay more than what UP is giving to farmers,” Singh said.