The plight of sugarcane farmers whose procurement price arrears are pending on the mills figured in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday with the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal staging a walkout over the issue.
While the Congress accused the Samajwadi Party Government of not putting pressure on the mills to pay the farmers’ dues, the BJP wanted strict action should be taken against the mill owners.
Raising the issue through an adjournment notice during Zero Hour, leader of the Congress Legislature Party Pradeep Mathur said the cane growers were in a pathetic state as cane price dues amounting to over Rs. 3,000 crore was still pending on the sugar mills.
He said the Government has failed to exert pressure on the mills for the payment of arrears. Stating that the cost of production came to around Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 per quintal, the Congress leader added the farmers have been given a State Advised Price of Rs. 280 per quintal.
