Power cut will shake UP’s economy: Vegetables, sugarcane, pulses crops ruined due to power cuts in villages; Small traders said – if you run the generator, it will be sold

Due to the rising heat, the demand for electricity in UP is increasing continuously. Today the demand for electricity in UP is 22,500 MW, but the power corporation is able to supply only 18,500 MW. Due to shortage of 4000 MW power in the state, farmers and entrepreneurs are facing huge losses.

At present, there is a cut of 9 to 10 hours in rural areas of UP. 6 to 8 hours in towns and 3 to 4 hours in cities. So let us explain in detail the effect of power cuts on both agriculture and industry sectors one by one…

There is a huge power crisis going on in UP at this time.

Irrigation in one acre costs 6 thousand extra
There are 2 crore 33 lakh farmers in UP. Here 1 crore 80 lakh hectares of land is cultivated. Farmers have to run tube wells to irrigate their fields. Till now there was no such problem of electricity, so most of the farmers had not bought generators. Strong farmers can still make arrangements, but economically weak farmers become helpless. Petrol and diesel have become expensive. On the basis of per acre in the diesel of the generator, an additional cost of about 6 thousand for irrigation of the month is incurred.

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Electricity is coming to the villages only for some time, but there is a problem of voltage in that too. Due to low voltage the tube well is not able to take the load.

There is a cut of 9 to 10 hours in the villages of UP. Farmers say, ‘Besides this deduction, when the light is on, the voltage is low, so the tubewell is not able to take the load. Due to running of multiple tubewells at the same time, the line trips and we have to face more cuts. The crop is damaged, due to which the farmers have to bear the loss. The state also has to bear the loss. Which crops of UP are getting ruined? Let’s know one by one…

Farmer burnt sugarcane in 14 bighas
UP is the largest producer of sugarcane. Sugarcane is cultivated on 28 lakh hectares of land here. 90% of the farmers of western UP depend on sugarcane cultivation. Water is the most important requirement for sugarcane cultivation. Due to power cuts, farmers are not able to give enough water to the sugarcane crop, so their crop is continuously getting spoiled. The news came only two days ago. A farmer of Deeppur village in Amroha district set his sugarcane crop of 14 bighas on fire due to power cut.

Sugarcane is cultivated on 28 lakh hectares of land in UP. Due to power cuts, farmers are unable to supply enough water to the sugarcane crop.

Mango trees need irrigation the most in April
UP alone accounts for 83% of the mango production in the country and the mango trees need a lot of irrigation in the month of April. Suresh Tiwari, a farmer of Rampur village, says, “There is not enough electricity in the village. There is a fear of small fruit due to lack of proper irrigation. If the fruit is not good then the price will also not be right. We are facing huge loss due to power cut.

Sathi maize crop needs a lot of irrigation
Maize is cultivated on 7 lakh hectares of land in UP. Saathi Maize is cultivated in the month of April. Although Punjab Sathi-1 variety of maize tolerates heat, but still it requires a good amount of irrigation. Thousands of farmers cultivating sathi maize may have to face heavy losses due to power cuts.

The first irrigation of moong crop is necessary between April 20 and May 10.
Moong is sown between March 15 and April 15. The first irrigation takes place in 10 to 15 days after sowing and that is the time of irrigation when the whole of UP is facing the problem of power crisis. After the first irrigation, 4-5 irrigations have to be done at an interval of every 10-12 days.

Irrigation of moong with plenty of electricity is required. First irrigation is done in 10 to 15 days after sowing.

Sanjay Choudhary, a farmer of Mavikalan village, who cultivates moong, says, “If this problem of power cut continues, then thousands of farmers of the state will have to suffer heavy losses”.

65-70% farmers cultivating urad and tur are unable to irrigate
The month of April is important for the cultivation of pulses, as these crops require the first irrigation in April itself. Urad and Arhar also need irrigation at the end of April like moong. Due to power cuts, 65-70% of the farmers cultivating pulses are not able to provide enough water to their crops, due to which they will have to suffer losses.

Baby corn crop can be damaged due to power cut.

Baby corn is a month-long crop
Raw corn of this variety is used for making salads, vegetables, soups, dumplings and pickles. Their cultivation is also done between April-May. Agriculture requires irrigation. Farmers cultivating baby corn crop may also face heavy losses due to power cuts.

Paddy is in its womb
Paddy is also harvested in the month of April. Paddy is in its womb, during this time paddy needs a lot of water but due to lack of electricity, farmers are not able to reach water to the fields and they will have to suffer losses. Vegetable farmers are also facing the problem of power cuts.

Impact on industries due to power cut
Entrepreneurs running large industries are capable. They don’t care much about power cuts. The real bad effect of power cut is on the small scale industries. We spoke to some small entrepreneurs. What problems are they facing due to power cut? Let’s get to know their words…

It is not getting cold, how to sell hot mineral water?
Santosh, a mineral water trader from Meerut district, said, “The machines remain closed due to power cuts of 7-8 hours. Not getting enough water. The water is not getting cold either. This is causing huge loss to our business. The customer always demands only cold water.

Packed in a mineral water bottle.

If you run the shop with a diesel generator, then the shop will be closed
Shakeel, who makes a living by running a welding machine shop, said, “Our business is at a standstill due to no electricity. Machines are lying idle. The artisans sit idle. Order work is not getting done on time. If we put expensive diesel and run the machine from the generator, then our shop will be closed, we will be sold.

Symbolic picture of a craftsman doing welding.

Freezers are closed, everything goes bad
“The ice cream, milk, sweets, curd, paneer and whey kept in the freezer gets spoiled due to the cut of 9 to 10 hours,” said Srinivas, who runs a sweet shop and ice cream parlor in Sardar Nagar. Now we have stopped ordering the goods due to heavy losses. Now we are not able to give people what they need.

Similar is the situation of many other small scale industries. Due to power cuts, they are continuously facing losses and facing difficulties. This loss of crops and small entrepreneurs will also hit the economy of UP in the coming times, because in reality this is the backbone of the economy of UP.