Samajwadi Party national President Mulayam Singh Yadav warned the Uttar Pradesh government of a “rebellious agitation” if it did not raise the minimum statutory prices for sugarcane and wheat.
He said the MSP for sugarcane and wheat should be Rs 300 and Rs 1,500 per quintal, respectively, explaining, “The MSP should be at least 1.5 times more than the input costs.”
Announcing a token statewide demonstration on November 16, Yadav said, “If the state doesn’t respond favourably to the demonstration, the party would launch an agitation.”
The state government, however, ruled out the possibility of revising the state advisory price (SAP) for sugarcane on Monday. Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said the government had decided the SAP should be “the minimum, and not the maximum”.
The state also criticised the Centre for not discussing the issue before announcing the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. He said Chief Minister Mayawati had already protested against the Centre’s decision.
Singh said, while “resentment is brewing among farmers against the FRP,” and the state government had given this year the maximum hike of Rs 25 per quintal. He said the government would also ensure timely payments to farmers.
Although the farmers rejected both the FRP and the SAP, the state said the SAP would be accompanied by some facilities, which the mills had been offering over the years.
{{/usCountry}}Although the farmers rejected both the FRP and the SAP, the state said the SAP would be accompanied by some facilities, which the mills had been offering over the years.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to Monday’s farmers’ agitation in western UP, Singh said it was by and large peaceful. Singh hoped Tuesday’s meeting between Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and mill owners would solve the problems of the farmers.
The cabinet secretary said in order to keep the farmers in good humour, the government last week banned the import of unprocessed Brazilian sugar.