"Farmers were under debt in previous govts...": CM Yogi

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 19 (ANI): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that the loans of 86 lakh farmers in the state have been waived off, while before 2017, farmers in the state were compelled to commit suicide due to overwhelming debt. There was no arrangement for electricity, fertilisers, and irrigation for farming.
During the Ganna Kisan Sanvad programme, the Chief Minister highlighted the challenges faced by sugar mills due to the neglect of previous governments, leading to the closure of numerous mills.
"When our government came into power, only about 110 sugar mills were barely operational. They also had pending sugarcane payments from 2010 to 2017. We prioritised clearing the pending payments to sugarcane farmers and got 120 sugar mills operational," said CM Yogi.
He mentioned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, while sugar mills in other states were closing, UP continued the operations of sugar mills with full strength. In the last six and a half years, the double-engine government has sent nearly Rs 7 lakh crore directly to the accounts of farmers.
During the event, sugarcane farmers expressed their gratitude, stating that they are happy over the increase in SAP of sugarcane by Rs 20 per quintal.
He mentioned that when our government came into power, the support price for sugarcane was set at Rs. 315 per quintal, but the farmers were not receiving that amount. We took action, and now 105 out of 120 sugar mills are making payments for sugarcane within 10 days. Efforts are also underway to achieve a 100 per cent payment.
"As a gesture before the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, the government has increased the SAP for sugarcane as a gift to farmers. This decision was made keeping in mind the tradition of offering food to the deity 'Annapurna' before the worship of God", Yogi added.
He assured farmers that the double-engine government stands with them with full honesty and commitment. He said that mangoes were sent to Moscow last year. The mangoes that were selling for Rs. 40-50 per kilogram locally were sold for Rs. 800-1000 per kilogram in the Moscow market. This increased the income of farmers, showing the commitment of the government to the well-being of farmers.
CM Yogi mentioned that the current generation is fortunate to witness the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram after 500 years on January 22. In this regard, he urged all the farmers in the state to connect through television. He instructed them to organise Bhandara at various places in the village and participate in the Sankirtan (devotional singing) happening in the temples.
He further directed them to clean the temples in the morning and light diyas in homes and temples in the evening as part of the grand celebration of Deepotsav. This not only honors our heritage but also fulfills our responsibility. He extended congratulations and best wishes to the sugarcane farmers for the upcoming consecration ceremony. During the programme, he also interacted with sugarcane farmers from different districts of the state.
In the program, State President of Kisan Morcha Kameshwar Singh expressed happiness over the increase in sugarcane SAP by Rs 20 per quintal. He said that the Yogi government's decision to increase sugarcane prices is historic.
Singh mentioned that when the whole world is enthusiastic about the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram, the Yogi government, by giving the gift of increased sugarcane prices to the farmers, has proved that it stands with the farmers for their welfare.
Omveer Choudhary from Meerut said that the Yogi government has given a new direction to the state. He expressed heartfelt gratitude for the large-scale UP Police recruitment and for providing employment to the youth.
He mentioned that before the consecration programme, the increase in sugarcane prices has stirred the emotions of farmers in the state. In addition to him, sugarcane farmers like Anil Choudhary from Meerut, Dhananjay Ram Tripathi from Kushinagar, Rahul from Muzaffarnagar, and Shubham Tripathi from Gonda expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for the increase in sugarcane prices. (ANI)