Karnal: Sugarcane farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kissan Union (BKU) (Charuni) stopped cane harvesting and locked gates of sugar mills in the state as a part of their protest for higher cane prices, reports Hindustan Times.
As the cane supply has stopped the mills will automatically stop crushing operations.
BKU(Tikait) and other farmers’ organizations have supported the agitation and have demanded the government hike SAP for sugarcane from Rs 362 to Rs 450.
Farmers have formed district-level committees that will block the operations of sugar mills till their demands are not accepted.
Gurnam Singh Charuni, state president of the organization said all 14 sugar mills have been closed and we will not allow them to operate till our demands are not met.
“We will decide on the next course of action on January 23 at a Mahapanchyat scheduled at Kurukshetra,” he said.
Farmers alleged that the government is cheating them by fixing sugarcane SAP at a lower rate when their counterparts in Punjab are getting Rs 380 per quintal.
