Lucknow: With assembly polls approaching fast, the hapless lot of cane farmers of Uttar Pradesh might get some good news. For the last several years the cane farmers in UP who have been facing the problem of stagnant price and non-payment of their dues. However, the Yogi Government has made up its mind to revise cane prices in the state as well as expediting the payment of arrears.
The chief minister Yogi Adityanath while making this indication said that his government is considering cane price hike and a final decision would be taken soon after holding discussions with all the stakeholders. A day before the union government has announced hike in cane price from Rs 285 per quintal to Rs 290. After this the process to increase the price in UP, one of the biggest producer of cane in the country, has become fast. It may be mentioned that there has been no hike in the cane price in UP for the last four years.
Not only this the chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that payment of cane arrears for the current season would be made before the start of new crushing season. While talking to a group of farmers the CM said that 82 per cent of the cane arrear of current crushing season has already been cleared and remaining would be paid before the new season begins. It may be mentioned that the state government in the supplementary budget tabled in the assembly recently has allocated Rs 200 crore for the sugar mills of co-operative sector for the payment of cane arrears.
The chief minister said that this year the sugar mills in west UP would start crushing from October 20 while the eastern UP mills would start from November first week. He said that sugar mills in central UP would start crushing from October 25.
The chief minister informed that his government has so far cleared cane arrears of Rs 1.42 lakh crores, which was pending since the year 2010. Besides his government has set up new sugar mills in Ramala, Munderwa and Pipraich in the state. He said that license system in the jiggery industry has been abolished during his tenure.
