Increase purchase price of sugarcane further as farmers in distress: Varun Gandhi to Adityanath

New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Monday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to further increase the purchase price of sugarcane to Rs 400 per quintal, saying farmers are in “misery” and have been hoping for a higher increase.

His remarks come a day after Adityanath announced a Rs 25 per quintal hike in the purchase prices of sugarcane in the state taking it to Rs 350 per quintal.

While thanking Adityanath for increasing the cane prices, Gandhi in a letter to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister suggested that the recent hike would be insufficient as the “farmers are in misery due to economic distress.”

“In the last four years the input cost for farmers such as prices of seeds, fertiliser and power have substantially increased….Farmers are in misery due to economic distress and have been hoping for a higher increase in cane prices,” Gandhi said.

The three-time MP from Uttar Pradesh had also written a letter to Adityanath earlier this month in which he had sought an increase in cane prices.

Reiterating his demand, Gandhi said lakhs of farmers are looking at Adityanath with hope that he will further increase the cane prices.

“With continuous rise in input cost for farmers, the cane prices should be fixed at minimum Rs 400 per quintal. It is matter of livelihood of lakhs of farmers and labourers,” Gandhi said.

Cane is mainly grown in western UP, which is the epicentre of the farmers” protest in the state against the Centre”s farm laws.

Gandhi had earlier sought various relief measures for farmers in Uttar Pradesh including subsidy on diesel, bonus above MSP of wheat and paddy and doubling the amount under the PM KISAN scheme.

Gandhi, the MP from Pilibhit, has also been advocating for re-engaging with protesting farmers to reach a common ground.