Luckhnow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday
ruled out allowing sugar mills to process imported raw sugar
unless the crushing of canes was completed, despite requests
by the Centre to lift the restrictions.
The state government had deferred import and transport of
raw sugar in the state by railway rakes with a view to provide
maximum price to cane farmers in the current crushing season,
a government spokesman said.
He said that due to the efforts of the government the
cane farmers were currently getting a payment of their produce
at the rate of Rs 260 per quintal at present. Sugar mills have
paid Rs 5,939.87 crore to the farmers till February 1.
The Centre last month had asked the Uttar Pradesh
government to lift the restrictions on processing raw sugar,
imported by state mills to boost the sweetener supply in the
domestic market.
Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar last
month had said that sugar prices had risen to nearly Rs 42 a
kg in the retail markets as nine lakh tonnes of raw sugar
lying idle at the Kandla Port in Gujarat.
Faced with severe demand-supply mismatch, the Centre had
allowed processing of imported raw sugar anywhere in the
country and extended deadline of duty-free import of white
sugar till December-end.
The spokesman said that this crushing season the
government had affected a record hike of Rs 25 per quintal in
SAP.
In view of the increase in cost of sugar cane production
and demands of farmers, the government had taken the
initiative for mutual consent between cane development
committees of cane farmers and sugar mills to provide
incentives to cane farmers, besides SAP, he said.
"As a result, the cane farmers are getting the payment
of Rs 260 per quintal," he said.
He said that drive has been launched to check the less
weighing of canes in sugar mills and other irregularities, due
to which 211 weighing clerks had been suspended.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 03, 2010, 17:14