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Photos: Sugar rush fades for farmers ahead of vote

India is vying to become the world's top sugar producer, but for its millions of sugarcane growers life is far from sweet as the country prepares for its mega-election from next week. Their woes are part of a deep crisis in rural India, with debts and drought driving thousands of farmers to suicide in recent years, putting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the back foot as he runs for a second term.

Updated on: Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM IST

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Labourers harvest sugarcane in a field along the Lucknow to Faizabad highway in Uttar Pradesh. “We have not got a single penny for four months of crop that we have sold,” said Ved Pal, gazing worriedly at stacks of sugarcane piled up on his farm in Uttar Pradesh’s Painga village. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

Labourers harvest sugarcane in a field along the Lucknow to Faizabad highway in Uttar Pradesh. “We have not got a single penny for four months of crop that we have sold,” said Ved Pal, gazing worriedly at stacks of sugarcane piled up on his farm in Uttar Pradesh’s Painga village. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

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A farmer transports sugarcane to sell at a nearby market on the outskirts of Ayodhya. “Last year’s payments are still due. I have lost interest in farming but there is nothing else to do,” he told AFP. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A farmer transports sugarcane to sell at a nearby market on the outskirts of Ayodhya. “Last year’s payments are still due. I have lost interest in farming but there is nothing else to do,” he told AFP. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

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A labourer loads bundles of sugarcane to sell at a market on the outskirts of Ayodhya. Sugarcane used to be an attractive option for growers, traditionally offering much higher returns than other crops. The plant is also hardy, but thirsty -- further depleting groundwater reserves in many areas. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A labourer loads bundles of sugarcane to sell at a market on the outskirts of Ayodhya. Sugarcane used to be an attractive option for growers, traditionally offering much higher returns than other crops. The plant is also hardy, but thirsty -- further depleting groundwater reserves in many areas. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

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A farmer harvesting sugarcane. “This crop can sustain heavy rain, hailstorm and even if it catches fire we can still recover some crop. And we have (a) captive market available as well,” Pal said. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A farmer harvesting sugarcane. “This crop can sustain heavy rain, hailstorm and even if it catches fire we can still recover some crop. And we have (a) captive market available as well,” Pal said. (Sanjay Kanojia / AFP)

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Sugarcane is unloaded at the Triveni sugar refining factory in Sabitgarh village, Bulandshahr district. One of Modi’s economic successes over the past five years is taming inflation that has long bedevilled India’s economy. In the case of sugar, this has been achieved by keeping a lid on the price at which sugar mills -- which process sugarcane into the white stuff -- can sell their produce. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

Sugarcane is unloaded at the Triveni sugar refining factory in Sabitgarh village, Bulandshahr district. One of Modi’s economic successes over the past five years is taming inflation that has long bedevilled India’s economy. In the case of sugar, this has been achieved by keeping a lid on the price at which sugar mills -- which process sugarcane into the white stuff -- can sell their produce. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A truck unloads sugarcane at the Triveni sugar refining factory. But this set price -- despite an increase in February -- is so low that many mills are losing money. The amount they can afford to pay growers is paltry, if they can pay at all, leaving farmers high and dry. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A truck unloads sugarcane at the Triveni sugar refining factory. But this set price -- despite an increase in February -- is so low that many mills are losing money. The amount they can afford to pay growers is paltry, if they can pay at all, leaving farmers high and dry. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A worker walks next to crushed sugarcane at the Triveni factory. As of last month, some $3 billion was owed to sugarcane growers, according to government data. “The government needs to set a higher minimum price for sugar -- adequate to cover the cost of cane,” Abhinash Verma of the Indian Sugar Mill Association told AFP. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A worker walks next to crushed sugarcane at the Triveni factory. As of last month, some $3 billion was owed to sugarcane growers, according to government data. “The government needs to set a higher minimum price for sugar -- adequate to cover the cost of cane,” Abhinash Verma of the Indian Sugar Mill Association told AFP. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A worker holds up a slide with sugar granules. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are the main sugar producers, growing 75% of India’s output, and the states’ 25 million sugarcane farmers are an important vote bank. Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million, is part of the Hindi heartland that was key to bringing Modi to power in 2014 with his promise of “Acche din”. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A worker holds up a slide with sugar granules. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are the main sugar producers, growing 75% of India’s output, and the states’ 25 million sugarcane farmers are an important vote bank. Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million, is part of the Hindi heartland that was key to bringing Modi to power in 2014 with his promise of “Acche din”. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A worker checks the quality of sugar at a sugarcane processing unit at the Triveni sugar refining factory. “We got this government to power on hopes that they will bring us good days, and double farm income,” said Anil Kumar, another sugarcane farmer in Uttar Pradesh. “We can accept income not doubling but at least let us have what we were earning,” he said. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A worker checks the quality of sugar at a sugarcane processing unit at the Triveni sugar refining factory. “We got this government to power on hopes that they will bring us good days, and double farm income,” said Anil Kumar, another sugarcane farmer in Uttar Pradesh. “We can accept income not doubling but at least let us have what we were earning,” he said. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A worker walks past a sugarcane processing unit. But it’s not just these two states, and it’s not only sugar farmers who are suffering. Some 70% of rural households depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, according to the UN, and life for many is tough due to drought, extreme weather and dysfunctional markets. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A worker walks past a sugarcane processing unit. But it’s not just these two states, and it’s not only sugar farmers who are suffering. Some 70% of rural households depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, according to the UN, and life for many is tough due to drought, extreme weather and dysfunctional markets. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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A worker is pictured next to a sugarcane refining unit. Their plight has sparked angry demonstrations in the run-up to the election, including last October when farmers clashed with police on the outskirts of New Delhi. The last budget of Modi’s outgoing government provided some sops for farmers but this hasn’t stopped the opposition jumping on the issue -- and on record Indian unemployment -- in the campaign. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

A worker is pictured next to a sugarcane refining unit. Their plight has sparked angry demonstrations in the run-up to the election, including last October when farmers clashed with police on the outskirts of New Delhi. The last budget of Modi’s outgoing government provided some sops for farmers but this hasn’t stopped the opposition jumping on the issue -- and on record Indian unemployment -- in the campaign. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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Workers pack processed sugar. On Tuesday the main opposition Congress party released its manifesto promising to waive all farmer loans and ensure “remunerative prices”, saying it has “heard the cry of anguish of farmers and feels the pain of their acute distress”. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

Updated on Apr 06, 2019 9:33 AM

Workers pack processed sugar. On Tuesday the main opposition Congress party released its manifesto promising to waive all farmer loans and ensure “remunerative prices”, saying it has “heard the cry of anguish of farmers and feels the pain of their acute distress”. (Sajjad Hussain / AFP)

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