Sugarcane farmers not to send children to school as protest

LUCKNOW - Sugarcane growers of nearly 10 villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district have decided not to send their children to school until their demand for a hike in cane prices is met by the state government.

The farmers unanimously took the decision during a panchayat convened at Haldaur town in Bijnor Sunday to make their grievances heard.

“The resolution is a part of our campaign against the state government for getting an adequate price for our produce,” Bhagwat Singh, a sugarcane farmer and resident of Haldaur town, told reporters in Bijnor Monday.

“During the panchayat, we vowed not to let students go to schools till the state government invites us for talks in order to solve our problems,” he said.

Following the resolution adopted by the farmers, children of cane growers in various villages, including Bantpura, Chamrola, Chandanpura, Fazalpur and Govindpur boycotted school Monday.

Up in arms against the state government over the state advisory price (SAP) of sugarcane that is fixed between Rs.165 and Rs.170 per quintal, the farmers are demanding that the SAP be set at Rs.280 per quintal.

“I believe it’s not only the problem of cane growers. In fact, the problem is a national concern. To sort it out, both the central and the state governments should hold talks with farmers’ organisations,” Rakesh Tikait, Bhartiya Kisan Union general secretary told IANS over telephone from Shamli in Muzaffarnagar, some 350 km from here.

The last few days have also seen agitated farmers burning truckloads of raw sugar at several places in western Uttar Pradesh to register their protest.

Reaching out to sugarcane farmers in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has decided to continue the ban on import of raw sugar till the sugarcane crushing in mills in the state is over, officials said.

The chief minister has also decided to convene a meeting to raise the prices for sugarcane crop, officials added.