Cane won't be harvested if demands not met: BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni

Karnal, January 10

Demanding a hike in the state advisory price (SAP) of sugarcane to Rs 450 per quintal from the existing Rs 362, farmers of the state, under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU –Charuni), today held a “kisan mahapanchayat” at the Karnal grain market.

Will close sugar mills

We are ready even to set our crop on fire if our demands are not accepted. Farmers will not harvest sugarcane from January 16 and send our crop to sugar mills. We will close all sugar mills for an indefinite period from January 20 if our demands are not met. Gurnam Singh Charuni, BKU President

They announced to stop the harvesting of sugarcane and not send the crop to sugar mills from January 17 if their demands were not accepted at a meeting with the committee constituted by the state government to decide SAP on January 16.

They also announced to close all sugar mills in the state for an indefinite period from January 20. The state government had constituted a committee to look into the sugarcane prices and submit a report in 15 days.

A delegation of the farmers will meet the committee in Panchkula on January 16. This was decided at a meeting of the farmers with Deputy Commissioner Anish Yadav and Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia. BKU president Gurnam Singh Charuni and other farm leaders attended the meeting. The meeting lasted for an hour in which farmers raised their issues and the DC assured them a meeting with the committee members. “The government has already constituted a committee which will decide SAP. We have apprised the government of the demands of farmers,” said the DC.

“We will meet the committee members and raise our demands. We are ready for all kinds of sacrifice. We can set our crops on fire if our demands are not accepted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured doubling the farmers’ income, but input cost is increasing and our income is decreasing,” said Charuni while addressing the farmers.

“We will continue our struggle till the fulfilment of our demands. As per our decision, farmers will not harvest sugarcane from January 16 and will not send their crop to sugar mills. We will close all sugar mills for an indefinite time from January 20 if our demands are not met,” said Charuni. “Farmers have been staging dharna in the mills for the past eight days, but the government did not consider our demands, so we held this kisan mahapanchayat,” he added.

Meanwhile, a large number of police personnel had been deployed in the grain market.