Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced an increase of Rs 11 in the minimum support price of Sugarcane after hundreds of farmers protested, demanding the increase.
The Chief Minister has approved the decision to increase the state agreed price of sugarcane by Rs 11. The price of sugarcane has now been increased from Rs 380 to Rs 391 per quintal.
Sharing a post on X, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote “Today is an auspicious day for the farmers of Punjab, as the price of the sugarcane has been increased by Rs 11. The rate of the sugarcane is Rs 391, which is more than the rest of the country”.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s move comes after a meeting with the farmers over increase in MSP (Minimum Support Price) of sugarcane and opening of sugarcane mills in the state.
Farmers who held a four day long protest in Jalandhar, demanding a Rs 70 per quintal increase in sugarcane prices called off their protests on after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann assured them of “good news”.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had launched a three-day protest at the Mohali-Chandigarh border. The other demands raised by the SKM included, guarantee for MSP (Minimum Support Price) from the central government, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the year-long agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, waiver of debt, pension for farmers, etc.
One of the protestors said, “Corporates are looting and their lakhs and crores of rupees in debts are written off but not those of the farmers. These debt traps are driving our farmer friends to suicide. Through this protest, we are raising a demand that the loans or debts of farmers be written off at the earliest. The same was promised by the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some state governments, too, made similar commitments.”
“We are holding the protest to put forward this demand and are getting the farmers ready for a bigger agitation in the coming days,” he said, adding that when large gatherings happen in other states over MSP, debt write-offs and waivers, among other issues, then a collective campaign and movement directed at the Delhi, the country’s power capital, will be set in motion”, he said.
