For years, payment of sugarcane prices to farmers remained pending in UP; today it is being done within week: CM Yogi

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 10 (ANI): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that Uttar Pradesh leads in the country not only in sugar and sugarcane production but also in ethanol production and in setting up of Khandsari units.
Speaking at the certificate distribution ceremony for the winners of the State Sugarcane Production Competitions, he said, "Earlier, sugarcane farmers in the state used to face difficulties in obtaining receipts because of discrepancies in the weighing of sugarcane as well as theft of their receipts, which often led to protests by the farmers. Additionally, the untimely closure of sugar mills had caused inconvenience to the farmers. For years, payment of sugarcane price to the farmers was pending."
Speaking of the current situation, he stated that steps were taken on a mission mode to settle the pending payments for sugarcane from 2010 to 2017 when the BJP government took over the state in 2017.
He mentioned that the owners of sugar mills requested permission to produce ethanol in order to regulate the pending payments to farmers on time.
"PM Modi's implementation of various reforms for the farmers has brought about a significant change in the state. With the approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sugar mills in the state are now producing ethanol along with sugar. As a result, UP is number one in the country in sugarcane, sugar and ethanol production as well as in setting up of Khandsari units," he added.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly constructed buildings of 25 cooperative sugarcane and sugar mill committees at Lok Bhavan on Saturday.
He stated that the buildings of cooperative committees can also prove to be useful for fertilizers and warehouses.
During the program, Yogi Adityanath stated that there are farmers in the state who are achieving the impossible by yielding 2640 quintals of sugarcane per hectare. Additionally, there are 3,171 cooperative women self-help groups in the state, with over 59,000 women working who are contributing to strengthening the state's economy by collaborating with 60 lakhs of sugarcane farmers.
He further mentioned that sugarcane payments that totaled roughly Rs. 1 lakh crore between 2007-2017, increased to Rs 2,134,00 crore between 2017-2023, and the amount was paid to the farmers through DBT.
Additionally, cash has been paid for the additional 500 tonnes of sugarcane crushed at the Khandsari units and separate payments are also being made for ethanol.
The Chief Minister said that hopefully, all 118 sugar mills in the state will adopt the practice wherein 100 sugar mills are paying the sugarcane price to the farmers within one to ten days.
Speaking of the achievements of the Sugarcane Department, he said that it has restarted four previously closed sugar mills in the state and two new sugar mills have been established.
"Chaudhary Charan Singh was called the 'messiah' of farmers. He had spoken about the revival of the Chhaprauli sugar mill in the 1980s, but successive governments came and went without thinking about the farmers. Our government has initiated the establishment of a new sugar mill in Chhaprauli," he added.
The Chief Minister stated that previous governments used to fire bullets at sugarcane farmers, whereas today the government is establishing new sugar mills that are functioning at full capacity.
"No one will be allowed to mess with the food providers (farmers) and become an obstacle in their development. The double-engine government is working sincerely in this direction," he added.
He asserted that Uttar Pradesh is the only state in the entire country where sugar mills continued to operate during the prolonged lockdown following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Moreover, when there was a shortage of sanitisers during the pandemic, sugar mills took charge and provided free sanitisers to every hospital, municipality, and gram panchayat in the state. Besides, sanitisers from Uttar Pradesh were also sent to 27 other states.
The cooperative women's self-help groups, sugar mill owners, and sugarcane farmers have made a significant contribution to the progress of Uttar Pradesh.
"Your contribution accounts for nearly 9 per cent of Uttar Pradesh's GDP. Your contribution will play a vital role in making the state's economy a trillion-dollar economy," he added.
In the program, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of organic farming.
He said that organic farming will ensure the health of Mother Earth and the well-being of sugarcane farmers. It will also contribute to the protection of cows. Farmers need to gradually advance organic farming.
Emphasizing the need of advancing technology, he said that the department has provided farmers with freedom from paper-based transactions by using technology. In the last 6 years, the double-engine government has provided additional irrigation facilities to nearly 2,300,000 hectares of land. As a result, 45 to 60 lakh sugarcane farmers are supplying sugarcane to sugar mills, which indicates that the scope of sugarcane cultivation in the state has significantly expanded.
During the event, Minister of Sugar Industry and Development, Lakshmi Narayan Chaudhary, State Minister of Sugar Industry and Development, Sanjay Singh Gangwar, Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, and Additional Chief Secretary of Sugar Industry, Development, and Excise Department, Sanjay Bhoosreddy, were present. In the program, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath honoured the participants and sugar mill owners. (ANI)