New Delhi, Oct 28: Farmers in Uttar Pradesh have threatened to launch a state-wide agitation over non-declaration of cane price despite the crushing season having begun, and the supreme court's order on paddy not being implemented. "Crushing season has started but neither the Centre nor the state has fixed the cane price. Flouting the apex court order, state government has also fixed an upper ceiling of a mere 6.5 lakh tonnes for paddy procurement," Convenor, Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, V M Singh said here.
He said that if the government fails to adhere to the court orders related to sugarcane and paddy in the next week, the Sangathan, in association with various peasant organisations including Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), will launch a massive agitation in the state. Singh said the state government has begun issuing Reservation Orders (ROs) by virtue of which the cane grower is bound to supply his cane to a particular mill. However ROs are complementary to the cane price fixed by the state government.
According to the interim orders passed by the Supreme Court in October 2001, there is no infirmity with the order of the Allahabad High Court which permits the state to fix the State Advised Price (SAP) for even the private mills.

In paddy, state government has fixed a quota of 6.5 lakh tonnes to be purchased by its agencies as against production of over 200 lakh tonnes leading to large scale distress sale by farmers.

Bureau Report