BJS demands compensation for sugarcane producers

Bhopal, Apr 28 (UNI) The Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) today accused the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh Government of being ''insensitive'' toward sugarcane farmers, who did not receive adequate price for their produce, and demanded compensation for them as provided in Maharashtra.

BJS General Secretary Prahlad Patel told reporters here that a bumper sugarcane crop was reported this year but ''wrong and insensitive policies'' of the government resulted in shortfall in sugarcane processing.

He alleged that the government did not appoint a Sugarcane Commissioner in the Jabalpur division, where the maximum production of sugarcanes takes place. More than 76,000 hectares in the state is under sugarcane cultivation.

Mr Patel demanded a compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare for standing sugarcane crop on the lines of Maharashtra.

He said he had alerted the government in December 2006 in this regard but it remained ''apathetic'' toward the problems of sugarcane producers.

The BJS leader said farmers committed suicides in Narsinghpur and other sugarcane growing regions as sugar mills did not purchase sugarcane and some closed down in the name of improvement.

Sugarcane crop in Narsinghpur dried, as sugar mills did not procure the crop for processing.

He pointed out that the Maharashtra Government had banned sugarcane and jaggery from Madhya Pradesh to protect its farmers but the state government had not imposed a similar ban on jaggery from Uttar Pradesh and South India.

State BJS President Raghunandan Sharma alleged that sugarcane producers in Narsinghpur were being discriminated on party lines and were not being provided subsidy as being given to sugarcane growers in other districts.

UNI