UP Farmers Warn of Protest if Sugarcane Payment Not Cleared on Time

A farmer’s organization in Uttar Pradesh has warned of protest, if dues of sugarcane growers are not paid on time.

In a letter to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, convenor of Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sangathan VM Singh told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections in 2017 had said that the payment of sugarcane farmers will  be paid in fourteen days or interest will be given, if the amount if not paid on time. 

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But even after more than four and half years, the promise has not been fulfilled yet, mentioning that farmers have voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last election, in a hope that their problems will  be solved.

Singh said if the promises are not fulfilled, then the farmers will definitely stage a protest from 6^th July to 12^th July at the offices of district magistrates, tehsil offices and sub-divisional magistrates. After this, on 15^th July, there will be protest at the sugarcane commissioner’s office.

Last week, State Sugar minister Suresh Rana said that UP government is keeping a close watch on 4 sugar groups -- Modi, Simbhaoli, Bajaj Hindustan and Yadus, who have been laggards in clearing the cane dues to farmers and will not hesitate to take strict action against the four.

The minister said that less than Rs 10,000 crore cane payments are yet to be cleared by mills in Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing 2020-21 sugar season (Oct to Sept), with much of it belonging to these groups. The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh Government has taken several measures to ensure mills do cane payment to farmers on time.