State bans offloading of imported sugar

Last Friday,bags of raw sugar,imported by the Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Mills,were set on fire by farmers at Shamli railway station in Muzaffarnagar district. After the incident,the district administration had prevented further offloading of raw sugar.

BKU chief Mahendra Singh Tikait has given a call to farmers to burn the imported sugar wherever they see it. Tikait issued the call following reports of burning of sugarcane crop by farmers at some places. The farmers are up in arms against the state government over the state advised price (SAP) of sugarcane which is lower than their expectations.

In order to tide over the shortage of sugar in the domestic market,the Centre had permitted private sugar mills to import raw sugar from Brazil. The mills will refine the sugar and then sell it. In UP,several private sugar companies,including Bajaj,Balrampur,Simbhaoli and Triveni,had contracted for the import of duty-free sugar.

Faced with the famer’s agitation,the state is pushing the ball into Centre’s court. The ban on offloading of imported sugar is part of this effort.

The sugar industry is,however,unfazed by the state government’s move.

“It’s a temporary order,maintaining law and order is the duty of the state government so it has taken this decision. As soon as the situation improves,the ban will be lifted,” said C B Patodia,president of the UP chapter of the Indian Sugar Mills Association.

Farmer organisations have welcomed the state’s decision.

“It’s our moral victory. Besides a higher price for sugarcane,it was one of our major demands at the Bareilly Kisan Panchayat,” said V M Singh of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan.

The government today sent Cane Commissioner Sudhir Bobde to Meerut to take stock of the situation created by the farmers agitation.

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh has given call for a Kisan Mahapanchayat at Meerut on November 5 to discuss the issue.

“The UP government is being targeted by the farmers for no rhyme and reason. The real culprit is the Centre which,without even consulting the state,announced the “fair and remunerative price” (FRP) for the sugarcane which is much lower than the state advisory price (SAP) announced by the state government,” said an official of the Cane Department.

“Moreover,by announcing the FRP,the Centre has divested the state government of its right to determine the SAP”,he added.

Cane Department sources said the state government is likely to make a detailed statement on Wednesday over the farmers’ agitation and measures it has taken in the interest of sugarcane growers.