Yogi govt made record Rs 1.30 lakh crore payment to cane growers

Lucknow,  03 April  (HS) :      The Yogi Government of UP has made a payment of Rs. 130,000 crore to over 45.44 lakh sugarcane farmers in the last four years. This amount is double what was paid by the BSP government and one and half times more than the payment made in the SP government, says a spokesperson of the state government here on Friday.

The spokesperson said that during the BSP government the sugarcane farmers were paid a total of Rs 55000 crore, while the SP government made a payment of around Rs 95000 crore in the five-year tenure. Yogi government has also paid the arrear of Rs 10659.42 crore to sugarcane farmers that was pending in Akhilesh government’s tenure, he said.

He said that CM Yogi Adityanath not only revived the battered cane and sugar industry in the state but also changed the fortune of cane farmers by making a record payment to them. Besides, the Yogi government restarted the sugar mills that were shutting down one after the other in the previous governments and also made UP number one state of the country in sugar production.

The state government has produced a record 427.30 lakh tonnes of sugar by crushing a total of 3,868 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in UP, including the three crushing seasons and the current crushing season 2020-21. The state government has paid a record sugarcane price of over Rs.130000 crores to over 45.44 lakh sugarcane farmers. From the year 2017-18 till January 31, 2021, a total of 261.72 crore litres of ethanol has been produced in the state through 54 distilleries which is a record, he added.

The spokesperson further said that for the first time in the last 25 years, licenses were issued for the establishment of 243 new Khandasari units. Out of which 133 units are now operational. These units will provide employment to about 16,500 people with a capital investment of Rs 273 crores. With the establishment of 243 new Khandasari units, 50 thousand people will get employment.

He said that during the government of SP and BSP, sugarcane farmers were worried about the payment of arrears. The farmers were distressed by the situation and stopped the sugarcane production. But with the historical payment of the sugarcane price, the cane producers are breathing a sigh of relief.

Not even a single sugar mill was closed during the lockdown in the state. All 119 sugar mills were running successfully and a payment of Rs 5954 crore was also made in the lockdown.

There are about 45.44 lakh sugarcane supplying farmers in the state and about 67 lakh farmers are into sugarcane cultivation. In the country, at present, 47 percent of sugar is being produced in UP and the sugarcane sector contributes 8.45 percent of the state’s GDP and 20.18 percent of agriculture sector.

In the previous governments, 21 sugar mills were closed from the year 2007 to 2017. It is with the efforts of Yogi government, 20 sugar mills were re-started. New sugar mills in Pipraich-Munderwa were set up. The closed  Ramala sugar mill became functional again and its capacity was increased. The Sambhal and Saharanpur sugar mills that were completely closed, have also started functioning. The capacity of the Baghpat sugar mill has been increased by setting up a cogeneration plant.

Apart from this, capacity of 11 private mills was also increased. Venus, Daya and Wave Sugar mills were closed for almost 8 years. Ethanol plant was established in Sathianv and Najibabad cooperative mills, he said.