Muzaffarnagar: Sugarcane farmers on Friday
threatened to sell their produce to mill owners in
neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttarakhand, which they
claimed offered better prices, while lawyers boycotted courts
and burnt effigies of sugarmill owners in support of the cane
growers.
"The mill owners of Uttarakhand have agreed in writing to
purchase sugarcane at rupees 220 per quintal. Therefore, we
will not sell our produce below this price," Bharatiya Kisan
Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said here,
adding in Haryana the price is around Rs 200 per quintal.
The lawyers of the District Bar Association yesterday
boycotted work at local courts and burnt effigies of mill
owners.
Demanding reasonable prices for sugarcane growers, the
bar criticised the government for working against the interest
of the farmers.
The Centre has announced a price of Rs 129.85 per quintal
for sugarcane during the 2009-10 crushing season under Fair
and Remunerative Price (FRP) system, while the Uttar Pradesh
State Advisory Price (SAP) has been set between Rs 165 and Rs
170 per quintal.
In case a state government fixes SAP higher than the FRP,
it will have to pay the difference. Farmers want Rs.280 per
quintal for their produce.
-PTI
First Published: Friday, November 27, 2009, 15:10