Seeking hike in sugarcane SAP, Karnal farmers protest outside mills
Protesting farmers also blocked roads in front of the sugar mills for an hour and threatened to launch a protest if the government failed to increase the sugarcane SAP to ₹450 a quintal from current ₹362.
Demanding a hike in the state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane, farmers associated with the Bhartiya Kisan Union BKU (Tikait) held protests outside sugar mills on Sunday.
The protesting farmers also blocked roads in front of the sugar mills for an hour and threatened to launch an indefinite protest if the government failed to increase the sugarcane SAP to ₹450 a quintal from the current ₹362.
In Karnal, the protesting farmers gathered outside three sugar mills in the district and blocked roads by parking their tractor-trailers. Addressing the farmers, BKU state president Ratan Mann said, “Since the input cost of the sugarcane has increased and the yield has reported a decline of up to 50%, farmers were expecting a relief from the government but it has refused to increase the SAP even after repeated protests by the farmers.”
He said the farmers have decided to give one week’s ultimatum to the government to increase the SAP to ₹450, after failing which an indefinite protest will be launched in the state.
The farmers alleged that the delay in the fixing of SAP has delayed the disbursement of payments to farmers.
Mann demanded immediate disbursement of payments to farmers with 15% interest. Due to the blockade of roads, commuters faced a harrowing time.
The BKU (Charuni) has also given a call to hold protests outside the residences of all ministers and MLAs over the same issue of sugarcane SAP.
“Even after repeated protests, the government has decided not to increase sugarcane SAP thus fixing it at ₹362 for early and ₹355 for late varieties. Now, we have decided to launch an agitation by holding protests outside the residences of all MLAs on December 29,” Charuni said in a video message. He urged the farmers to support the protest and gather in large numbers. In Karnal, farmers associated with three sugar mills in the district will hold a protest outside the chief minister’s residence on December 29.
Charuni said all sugar mills will be locked for three hours on January 5 and from January 12 crushing operations at all sugar mills of the state will be stopped indefinitely as farmers will lock gates of all cooperative and private sugar mills of the state.
Meanwhile, a group of farm outfits protested outside the chief minister’s residence in Karnal against imposing 2% rural development cess on crops to be sold in mandis, advanced consumer deposit in power bill, and a ban on all diesel vehicles that are over 10 years old in NCR districts.
The protesting farmers also took out a tractor march towards the CM’s residence at Prem Nagar in Karnal.