Shamli, Uttar Pradesh: The commencement of two new sugar mills in Saharanpur district, along with this year’s diminished sugarcane yield may pose problem for sugar mills in district to procure sugarcane for crushing. With the outstanding payments to farmers from sugar mills in the Shamli district not being settled, the mills in Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts have turned their attention toward procurement centers in Shamli.
According to data from the Sugarcane Department, sugarcane cultivation has been decreasing over the past two years, attributed in part to disease affecting the crops. This year, sugarcane cultivation in Shamli district has seen a decline ranging from three to five percent. Over the past several years, sugar mills in the district are struggling to clear payments to farmers. The farmers from Shamli, Thana Bhavan, and Unn sugar mills are displeased due to delays in cane payments. For the upcoming 2023-24 season, they are demanding to divert their sugarcane to Khatauli, Titavi, and other mills in neighboring districts, instead of the current practice of supplying to Shamli, Thana Bhavan, and Unn sugar mills.
For the past seven days, farmers have been staging a protest at the Shamli Sugarcane Committee office. They are demanding the reassignment of their procurement centers to other district sugar mills. A decision to not supply sugarcane to Shamli sugar mills was made during a recent meeting of sugarcane farmers. They had organized a one-day protest outside the district collectorate under the leadership of BKU political for their demand.
It’s worth noting that Shermau Sugar Mill in Shamli district, along with Bajaj’s Bhaisana, Titavi, and Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district, and Ramala Sugar Mill in Bagpat district, are already receiving the supply of sugarcane from Shamli district.
