Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday lent support to the sugarcane farmers’ demand for a higher remuneration of ₹600 per quintal.
In a statement, the leader of Opposition said that sugar, which was selling for ₹45 per kg just a few months ago, is now retailing at ₹65 to ₹70 per kg in the open market, an increase of 44%–55%. “Despite this surge in sugar prices, farmers are receiving no benefit. Instead, hoarders and black-marketers are profiting due to the government’s flawed policies,” he said.
He described the 3%, increase in the sugarcane price as a cruel joke on the farmers. Hooda urged the government to increase the sugarcane price in accordance with the farmers’ demands.
The Congress leader said that cane farmers in Haryana are being forced to take to the streets to press for their demand for a price of ₹600 per quintal. “Farmers say that the prices announced by the state government are insufficient to cover the increasing costs of cultivation,” he said.
Hooda blamed the anti-farmer policies of the BJP government, and rising inflation for suffering of the farming community. “The cost of farming has surged due to the rising prices of diesel, fertilizers, seeds, and agricultural equipment,” the former CM said.