UP farmers protest, ask for review of sugarcane prices

Farmers across Uttar Pradesh held protests demanding a review of sugarcane support price. They burnt sugarcane and blocked roads in the state to register their demands.

Ghaziabad: Cane growing farmers of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday organised a state-wide agitation asking the government to increase support price of sugarcane.

The farmers, led by Bhartiya Kisan Union, blocked the national highway number 58, leading to long traffic jam here.

The agitated farmers told ETV Bharat that it's been over three years since the government had increased the support price for the agricultural product and demanded that it was high time that it revise the price.

"Prices of everything, be it urea or any other product needed for farming, have gone up over the years but support price of sugarcane remains the same for the past three years," one of the protesting farmers said.

He said they want the government to look into the matter as the farmers across the country are already distressed.

Another farmer said it was a difficult situation for any sugarcane grower and authorities must take note of it.

Reports of similar agitations in other parts of the state have also come in with a massive protest organised in the state capital.

Sugarcane farming is done by nearly four million farmers in UP and the composite annual sugar economy is estimated at more than ₹40,000 crore, spanning sugar, power generation, and ethanol.