Uttar Pradesh sugarcane farmers have written to the government regarding non-payment of dues and demanding that banks be asked to stop harassing the farmers for loan repayments.
In a press release, Bharatiya Kisan Andolan said that Meerut farmers are facing dire financial times because they don’t receive the right price for crops and their dues are not being paid on time. Sugar mills in the state owe sugarcane farmers thousands of crores.
The press release says that banks are now serving farmers notices for not paying back their loans. Many sugarcane farmers, as a result, are suffering from depression, high blood pressure and anxiety.
Meanwhile, Sugarcane farmers in West UP continue with their agitation against non payment of dues. A line in the mast head of the press release reads:
जब तक किसान दुखी रखेगा, तब तक धरती पर तूफान रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/ISQ7JeWZJA
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 25, 2019
The farmers demand that their dues should be paid back as per law, all farmers’ crops be bought indiscriminately after weighing them at the sugarcane centres. They also demand that banks should immediately stop harassing farmers by sending notices, which leads to farmers suffering from poor health.
Earlier, Harish Damodaran writing for the Indian Express had reported that sugarcane payment dues to farmers in Uttar Pradesh have crossed Rs 10,000 crore.
The report added that per state cane commissioner’s office data sugar mills have bought cane worth Rs 24,888.65 crore in 2018-19 crushing season (October-September).
Also Read: Haryana: Farmers Being Cheated, Produce Regularly Under-Weighed
The mills were to pay Rs 22,175.21 crore within 14-days of accepting the cane. But actual payments had been only Rs 12,339.04 crore, leading to arrears of Rs 9,836.17 crore. When the dues of Rs 238.81 crore from previous season are added, the total pending dues rise to Rs 10,074.98 crore, IE reported.
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had swept to power in Uttar Pradesh. However, they were in the opposition back then, both at the Centre and state. In the ongoing 2019 election, the woes of sugarcane farmers in the state are expected to worsen the party’s dwindling fortunes in the state.