Bijnor, Uttar Prades: The sugarcane crushing season began in Uttar Pradesh three months ago, yet the state government has not announced the sugarcane price for 2024-25. This delay has caused frustration among farmers, who are demanding a fair price for their crops at district offices, reported The Times of India.
Farmers have called for sugarcane prices in Uttar Pradesh to match those in Haryana and Punjab, with rates at ₹400 per quintal. Last year, the government raised the price by ₹20 per quintal, setting it at ₹370 per quintal for early-maturing varieties. However, farmers argue that this increase was inadequate.
Baburam Tomar, a regional leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), expressed concerns over the government’s pricing decisions. “In the last seven years, the government has only increased the price three times—by ₹10, ₹25, and ₹20 per quintal—which adds up to just ₹55. Meanwhile, farming costs have gone up due to crop diseases and a decline in sugarcane production this year,” he said.
Digambar Singh, who leads the youth wing of BKU (Arajnaitik), emphasized the challenges faced by sugarcane farmers. “There are 50 lakh sugarcane farmers in the state, and 46 lakh of them supply their crop directly to 120 sugar mills. The central government has recently raised ethanol prices and plans to allow sugar exports, which will help sugar mills. However farmers are struggling under debt due to unfair pricing, and the government needs to step in. Last year, the price was announced on January 31, but this year, there has been no update yet,” he stated.
On the other hand, sugar mill owners have opposed any increase in prices, arguing that sugar recovery rates have dropped by 0.75% compared to last year. They say that raising sugarcane prices would put financial pressure on the mills. Ravindra Shukla, head of Bijnor Sugar Mill, warned, “If the government increases sugarcane prices, sugar mills will face difficulties in making timely payments to farmers.”
