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Sugarcane growers seek better price
Sugarcane growers seek better price , Sugarcane, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Sugar mills. Anji Reddy, vice-president of BKS, said, “There is a rift between the mill owners and farmers. Unless there is a rapport, the sugar industry cannot progress.”
Hyderabad: Sugarcane growers in the State and across the country urged the government for an upward revision of price along with a slew of concessions to save them from debts and suicides, besides discouraging farmers from switching over to more remunerative crops.
At the national seminar organised by Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) and Bharatiya Agro Economic Research Centre at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram here on Thursday, activists, agriculture scientists, sugar mill owners and farmers from different States converged to discuss issues of the sugar industry. The seminar was inaugurated by RTI Chief Commissioner Jannat Hussain.
Support price for sugarcane
The Centre had decided to pay Rs 2,100 per tonne of sugarcane, whereas the production cost for one tonne of sugarcane was Rs 2,800. K Sai Reddy, national executive member, BKS said, “Andhra Pradesh is the only State where VAT is imposed. The State and Central government get Rs 30,000 per acre through direct and indirect taxes. Unless the policies are farmer-friendly, the plight of debt ridden farmers will not change.” Eighty-five per cent are small and marginal farmers. The sugar industry accounts for 2 per cent of the GDP. Out of the 529 working sugar factories in the country, 36 are in Andhra Pradesh. Sugarcane is cultivated in 50.64 lakh hectares in India and 1.96 lakh hectares in AP.
Anji Reddy, vice-president of BKS, said, “There is a rift between the mill owners and farmers. Unless there is a rapport, the sugar industry cannot progress.”
The fluctuating price is directly related to production. The estimated sugar production in 2013-14 is 250 lakh tonnes. In the organised sector, the sugar industry is the largest single employer in rural India employing 4.5 lakh workers.
According to G Venkateshwara Rao, COO of KCP Sugar and Industries Corp, “The contribution of sugar industry to the Central and State government’s exchequer by way of taxes and duties is over Rs 60,000 crore. Ethanol is a byproduct of the sugar industry. The government was paying Rs 37 to Rs 40 per litre of ethanol which was financially not viable, say the factory owners. Ethanol is mixed with petrol by the oil companies. Their other demands included the abolition of VAT, discouraging import of sugar and export the surplus production and to stock and pay the prices to the farmers for the overall welfare of the sugar production sector.
The seminar was attended by former scientists from Agricultural University, former deputy cane commissioner, senior members of BKS. Addressing the gathering, K Ramachandra Murthy, MD and Editor-in-Chief, HMTV and The Hans India, urged the farmers to stand united in their struggle. He gave the example of Arvind Kejriwal who, with the backing of the middle-class, toppled the government in Delhi.
