UP elections 2022: Sugarcane farmers demand subsidised diesel, loan to buy seeds
Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh), March 1: Ahead of the sixth phase of the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, over three lakh sugarcane farmers in Kushinagar who are facing a slew of problems have demanded a subsidy on diesel and loan to buy seeds.
Sugarcane farmers in the district, which is voting in the sixth phase of the Assembly elections, have said they have suffered severe losses due to extreme rain that has damaged a large portion of the district's crops in the last two years.
Farmers who failed to repay a loan taken under the KCC (Kisan Credit Card) plan due to low harvest said they would no longer be eligible for loans under the scheme. A farmer can obtain a Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and secure loans with the lowest interest rate under this scheme.
The Central Government launched the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) in 1998 to give farmers access to credit at a reasonable rate. The programme offers farmers term loans to cover the costs of farming, harvest and farm maintenance.
Farmers while talking to media said they want a subsidised diesel rate and a seed loan.
"Last year I suffered loss and this year also, the situation remains the same. We do not want subsidies on seeds. The present rate is Rs 350 per quintal for sugarcane. If we can get loans to buy the seeds, it will be of much help for us. The price of fertilizer is also increasing, do not know where it will stop," said a farmer from Dumri village, Kushinagar.
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The 'early variety' (also considered as the best variety) rate in the state is Rs 350 per quintal, while the 'reject variety' (poor grade) rate is Rs 340 per quintal.
Sugar mills were not built in the state's eastern area, commonly known as the "sugar bowl of India." Sugar mills were instead erected at Pipraich, Gorakhpur, and Munderwa, Basti districts.
Many farmers started banana plantations simultaneously as sugarcane a few years ago, due to immediate profit from banana cultivation. Banana plants, on the other hand, died as a result of rain and stagnant water on the field, forcing farmers to return to sugarcane.
Ajay Kumar Mal, a cane farmer with ten acres of land in Babuiya Harpur, said, "The sugarcane farmers in Kushinagar are in a bad situation. Sugarcane and banana farmers have had a difficult time in the last two years due to heavy rain and stagnant water on the field."
The state's sugarcane economy is currently valued at Rs 40,000 crore.
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The cane farmers' dilemma has a number of problems associated with it, including mill payment delays, increases in fertiliser and pesticide costs in recent years, all of which have had a direct impact on farmers of all scales, the majority of whom are small-scale farmers.
In the sixth phase of the seven-phased Assembly elections, 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh including Gorakhpur, Ambedkarnagar, Ballia, Balrampur, Basti, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabir Nagar and Siddharthnagar will go to polls on March 3.
The seventh and last phase of the UP assembly election 2022 will be held on March 7, with the counting of votes on March 10.
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-PTC News
