In Jalandhar, farmers blocked railway tracks during an indefinite protest demanding increase in the State Advisory Price (SAP) of sugarcane.
In Punjab, talks between the government and the protesting farmers on Sunday went in vain as farmers did not agree to their demand to increase the State Assured Price (SAP) of sugarcane to at least Rs 400 per quintal.
For the last two days, farmers have been blocking the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway and rail track near Jalandhar. He threatened to block all the highways from Tuesday if he did not agree to the demand.
However, service roads were opened for Raksha Bandhan, while the dharna in Jalandhar continued as usual.
In a meeting chaired by Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, it was decided to clear the dues of sugarcane farmers of Rs 45 crore by the first week of September.
Another meeting with the expert committee will also be held on Monday.
The government had last week increased the assured price by Rs 15, taking it to Rs 350 per quintal.
Official sources told IANS that a meeting with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is likely on Tuesday.
Expressing solidarity with the protesting sugarcane farmers, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday demanded that the Congress government should increase the State Assured Price (SAP) of sugarcane to a minimum of Rs 380 per quintal, besides There should be immediate demand. Release all pending payments of sugarcane growers.
He also announced that if the state government does not do justice to sugarcane growers, the next SAD-BSP coalition government will increase the SAP to a minimum of Rs 380 per quintal.
“We will also include this commitment in our election manifesto,” he said.
In a statement issued, the SAD president said it was “shocking” that after refusing to increase the sugarcane SAP for four years, the Punjab government effected a “modest” increase of Rs 15 per quintal at the end of its term. has done.
“It is a betrayal of both the sugarcane growers as well as the cause of diversification. The government has sprinkled salt on the wounds of sugarcane growers through this harsh and insensitive act,” he said.
He said if the government had increased the price of sugarcane by at least Rs 20 per year, the SAP this year would have been at least Rs 380, which is the fair price per quintal of sugarcane.
Sukhbir Badal said, “The farmers of Punjab have suffered a loss of Rs 1,000 crore by not doing so.
He also said that if the interest quotient on delayed payment is taken into account as well as the high state VAT on diesel, the loss is huge.
The SAD chief also demanded that the state government should ensure immediate release of arrears of sugarcane growers from cooperative sugar mills.
“Private mills have sold sugar in the market, but have not paid the farmers,” he said.
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