Munde asks Centre to help sugarcane growers

Mumbai, Feb 22 (UNI) The Central government should immediately take some steps to help the sugarcane farmers as rates of the commodity are going down due to a bumper crop, National BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde today demanded.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr Munde said ''If the government will not take proper steps immediately the sugarcane growers will also resort to suicides like cotton farmers of Vidarbha.'' Mr Munde said all over the country the sugarcane production is expected to be 2400 lakh tonne out of which 750 lakh tonne will take place in Maharashtra.

He said out of the total 240 lakh tonne sugar in the entire country, around 80 lakh tonne is produced in Maharashtra, which means that nearly one third of the country's sugar is produced by the State. So Maharashtra will be the worst affected if adequate steps are not taken by the Centre.

Already sugar rates per quintal have come down by nearly Rs 500, he added.

Mr Munde alleged that some of the mistakes of Central government including refusing the permission for sugar exprot for over one year and stopping the blending of ethanol with petrol has adversely affected the farmers' condition.

He said this year atleast 25,000 tonne sugarcane will remain uncrushed which should be given compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre.

The government should make the buffer stock of 50 per cent of the sugar produce and should offer subsidy to the farmers for export, he added.

UNI