Chandigarh, January 7
The low state advised price (SAP) offered by the Haryana government to the sugarcane growers in the state has led to a stand-off between the farmers and the 13-odd sugar mills in the state.

Farmers have refused to supply their produce to the sugar mills in Haryana and are, instead, selling it in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where they are getting almost Rs 50 per quintal more than in Haryana.

As a result, 12 mills in the state, including nine cooperative sugar mills, are closed down. The mill at Palwal is the only one crushing cane now.

The state government, on the other hand, maintains that the rate offered to the farmers is a sizeable increase over the SAP offered last year, and though a marginal increase could be offered to farmers now, the sugar mills would not be able to pay as high a SAP as offered in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

The state government has already offered a hike of Rs 7 per quintal, which has been turned down by the growers.

While the growers continue to boycott selling their cane to mills in the state, they are expected to meet at Radaur on January 11 and decide their future strategy.

Though the fair remunerative price (FRP) offered by the Government of India for sugarcane is Rs 170 per quintal, the state government has offered an SAP of Rs 235, Rs 240 and Rs 251 per quintal (based on variety). This is an increase of Rs 15- Rs 20 per quintal over that offered last year.

However, in Uttar Pradesh, the farmers are getting an SAP of Rs 290 per quintal and in Uttaranchal, Rs 295 per quintal. As a result, sugarcane growers in villages bordering the two states prefer to sell their sugarcane to mills there.

Talking to The Tribune, Sandeep Singh Rana, a sugarcane grower in Balrajputana village near Karnal, said the SAP offered was very less, considering that the costs of diesel and most fertilisers had increased manifold. “The ruling Congress had declared at various public forums that sugarcane growers would get the same price as in the neighbouring states. However, we are offered Rs 40 per quintal less than in UP, making sugarcane farming unremunerative and forcing us to think of taking up some other crop where better returns are assured,” he said.

This year, the farmers were expecting better returns and the area under sugarcane had increased from two lakh acres last year to 2.20 lakh acres. The state was hoping that its nine cooperative sugar mills would crush 320 lakh quintals of cane, as compared to 316 lakh quintals last year. But with farmers now selling their produce in the neighbouring states, the sugar mills may miss the target.

V K Kapoor, general secretary of the Kisan Club, Haryana, said the state government should take into account the hike in input costs while determining the SAP. “The prices of sugar have doubled in the past four years, but the price offered to the farmers has increased by just Rs 40 per quintal,” he rued.