Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday suggested that farmers in Uttar Pradesh should change cropping pattern to get more benefit and also pitched for producing biodiesel and ethanol from sugarcane.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Gadkari laid the foundation stone of the Rs 5,000-crore Panipat-Khatima highway project. He also laid the foundation stone of a Rs 232-crore project under the Namami Gange programme.

The minister also appealed to the people to get over the practice of casteism and work for the development of the country. He said farmers of the state are facing problems as they are not getting profit from their sugarcane crops.

He said sugar rates in global market are down and there is no profit in sugarcane farming.