NEW DELHI: As the 2022 Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly election draws closer, the political parties have intensified their efforts to woo different cross-sections of the voters. In the latest development, the ruling BJP and Congress are locked in a battle to win over the sugarcane farmers in the poll-bound state which returns 403 MLAs in the assembly.
While UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath recounted the steps taken for the benefit of the sugarcane farmers, Congress general secretary in-charge of the state Priyanka Gandhi Vadra refuted them. The BJP Kisan Morcha (farmers’ wing) came out with detailed statistics to defend the UP CM and debunk the Congress leader.
These developments hold significance in view of the ongoing farmers' protest at three Delhi borders since November 26 last year demanding repeal of the three farm laws and according a legal status to minimum support price (MSP). The protesters consist of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western UP.
While the UP assembly election is likely to be held early next year, two developments took place on August 25 with respect to the sugarcane farmers.
Yogi Adityanath seeks to win over sugarcane farmers
In the first development, Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the previous governments and said the sugar mills were shut down in the ‘Sugar Bowl’ of western UP. He said several new sugar mills have been started and the capacity of some closed ones has been enhanced.
Yogi said only Rs 95,000 crore were paid to sugarcane farmers between 2007 and 2016. He claimed that over 45.74 lakh sugarcane farmers in UP have been paid a record cane price payment of more than Rs 1.4 lakh crore between 2017 and 2021.
He said, “While 6 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured in 2016-17, this year a record 56 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured despite Corona.”
In the second development, the Modi government approved a new Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the next sugar season starting October 2021, at Rs 290 per quintal, an increase of Rs 5 over the last year.
Food and consumer affairs minister Piyush Goyal said the decision would benefit 5 crore sugarcane farmers as well as 5 lakh workers employed in sugar mills across the country.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacks BJP
In response to the claims made by Yogi Adityanath, Priyanka Vadra on Thursday accused the Yogi government of meting out injustice to the sugarcane farmers.
In a tweet in Hindi, she said, “The cost of electricity has increased several times for the farmers in Uttar Pradesh. The price of diesel has increased more than 100 times. But the cost of sugarcane has increased by Rs 0 since 2017 for the farmers. After all, why this injustice against the farmers?”
BJP Kisan Morcha defends UP govt
The BJP Kisan Morcha (farmers’ wing) on Thursday came in support of the Yogi government and refuted Priyanka’s allegations.
Morcha president Rajkumar Chahar, who is a former president of UP BJP Kisan Morcha, said ever since Modi has become the PM, the welfare of sugarcane farmers has been his major concern and he has been taking a number of steps in their interests.
“The situation of farmers would not have been this good had Modi not taken historic decisions to protect their interests,” he said.
Chahar said 55 lakh tonne sugar has been exported recently and a buffer stock of 40 lakh metric tonnes has been created. In a historic decision, the Modi government announced that sugar would not be allowed to sell below the price of Rs 3,100 per quintal in the domestic market, he said.
The BJP leader said the UPA government in its last year of rule imported 40 lakh metric tonnes of sugar from Brazil which was not required. They were supposed to be returned after refining them. But the Congress-led government changed the rule through a cabinet decision and had them consumed in the country for 18 months, he said.
He charged that as a result of this when the Modi government came to power, the cost of sugar came down to Rs 2,300 per quintal. The sugarcane mill owners had shut down their business as payments were due for a couple of years.
However, Chahar said, of the Rs 91,00 crore of the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) dues, payment of Rs 86,000 crore has been made.
In 2013-14, the BJP leader said, 38 crore litres of ethanol was being produced. However, this year the production of ethanol has gone up to 400 crore litre. Earlier, ethanol was made from molasses. But now it is made directly from sugarcane juice.
He said PM Modi has given a package of soft loan of Rs 4,500 crore to the sugarcane mills so that ethanol could be produced directly from sugarcane. As a result, most of the sugar mills have started manufacturing ethanol.
Chahar said presently petrol is being mixed with 8 per cent ethanol. The PM's resolve is to ensure that the figure rises to 20 per cent ethanol by 2025.
He said, “With such a target, sugarcane growers will be in an advantageous position. They will be in profit in a major way. This would protect the environment and also lessen the burden of importing crude petroleum.”
Chahar alleged that several sugar mills were either shut down or were auctioned as they were a loss-making venture during the Manmohan Singh government.
However, in the Modi government, several mills have been reopened, the capacity of some has been augmented, new ones are being set up and new plants of ethanol are also coming up, he said.
He claimed that the Modi government has also taken major steps to keep a check on the cost of production of sugarcane. For instance, it has not increased the subsidy on urea to Rs 1,200 even though its price has gone up to Rs 2,400.
“Everyone knows that the Swaminathan Committee report had been submitted in 2006 but was lying in cold storage. It was the Modi government which implemented it,” he said.
On the minimum support price (MSP), the BJP Kisan Morcha president said the central government had made huge purchases. Be it paddy, wheat, sugarcane, pulses or oilseeds, they have been bought at price many times more than what the previous governments did.
Besides, MSP has also been increased by one-and-a-half times, he said, refuting Priyanka’s allegation.
