Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, has accused the BJP-JJP government of failing the state’s sugarcane farmers by only raising the price of sugarcane by 14 per quintal. He pointed out that the farmers had long been demanding an increase to 450 per quintal.
Hooda highlighted the significant price increase during his government’s tenure, raising the sugarcane rate by a record-breaking 193, from 117 to 310, which represented a 165% increase over nine years. In contrast, the BJP government has only increased the price from 310 in 2014 to 372 in 2023-24, marking a mere 20% increase over the same period.
He praised the Congress government for ensuring the purchase of sugarcane from farmers and ensuring prompt payment to them, with no outstanding dues to farmers at the end of his term in 2014.
Hooda pledged that if the Congress government takes office in Haryana the following year, they will raise the sugarcane price to 450 per quintal, once again making it the highest rate in the country.
He also criticised the BJP government’s unfulfilled promise to double farmers’ income by 2022, highlighting the stagnation in sugarcane prices. Instead of doubling farmers’ income, he noted that the cost of living and debt for farmers had increased, while taxes on fertilisers and agricultural equipment had reduced their income.
Hooda expressed the farmers’ dissatisfaction with the nominal increases in sugarcane prices, claiming that the government was playing a cruel joke on them in an election year. He noted that sugar was selling at higher prices in the market while farmers were not receiving fair compensation for their hard work. Hooda emphasised the need to increase the sugarcane price by at least 50 per quintal due to rising farming costs and crop-related challenges. However, with the meagre 14 increase for 2023-24, farmers were likely to face losses, discouraging sugarcane cultivation. He also raised concerns about the impact on the state’s sugar mills and employees, and the government’s substantial loans. If farmers stop cultivating sugarcane, it could jeopardise the future of sugar mills and government-established ethanol plants. In a plea to the government in the interest of farmers, Hooda called for a reconsideration of the declared price and an increase in sugarcane’s price to 450 per quintal.