Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday said that there is a continuous deterioration in the economic condition of sugarcane farmers in Haryana and its cultivation has now completely turned into a loss-making proposition.
Addressing a gathering of protesting farmers in Yamunanagar, he said that the burden of soaring production costs on farmers and farm labourers has pushed both the state’s agriculture sector and the sugar mill industry to the brink of a severe crisis. “Despite repeated demands, the BJP government has insulted the farmers by increasing the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane by a meagre ₹12,” he said.
Jagadhri MLA Aram Khan and other leaders also joined. A memorandum was also submitted to the governor through the deputy commissioner.
The Congress leader further stated that the continuous rise in diesel prices, doubling of land lease rates, which has hit small farmers the hardest, significant increase in labour, irrigation, machinery, and other operational costs, causing tremendous pressure on farmers are the major reasons why sugarcane farming has turned unprofitable.
“The decline in sugarcane farming poses a direct threat to Haryana’s agricultural economy. According to the state’s official figures for 2023 Haryana’s sugarcane production has fallen to 88.60 lakh metric tonnes — a continuous decline, the area under sugarcane cultivation has reduced drastically from 3.5 lakh acres to 2.5 lakh acres, which is a matter of serious concern and due to insufficient supply of sugarcane to sugar mills, several mills are on the verge of shutting down their crushing operations,” Surjewala said.
{{/usCountry}}“The decline in sugarcane farming poses a direct threat to Haryana’s agricultural economy. According to the state’s official figures for 2023 Haryana’s sugarcane production has fallen to 88.60 lakh metric tonnes — a continuous decline, the area under sugarcane cultivation has reduced drastically from 3.5 lakh acres to 2.5 lakh acres, which is a matter of serious concern and due to insufficient supply of sugarcane to sugar mills, several mills are on the verge of shutting down their crushing operations,” Surjewala said.
{{/usCountry}}He demanded that the SAP be increased to ₹500 per quintal so that farmers can live with dignity and contribute to the progress of the state. Currently, the sugarcane SAP is ₹415 per quintal in the state.