Lucknow: Armed with sugarcane stems, thousands of farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh arrived here in jam-packed trains to demonstrate against the sugarcane pricing policy of the state government.
Led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Chief Mahendra Singh Tikait, farmers demanded that the state government must hold talks with them so they get an appropriate price for their produce.
"I just know that someone, senior officials or ministers should invite us for the talks to solve our problems," said BKU President Mahendra Tikait.
"If it doesn't happen, we will continue to fight for our rights," added Tikait, who will address farmers later in the day at a panchayat convened by the BKU.
The BKU has asked farmers to break barriers and send their crop to sugar mills in Uttarakhand, which have agreed to pay Rs 215 to Rs 220 for one quintal of sugarcane.
"We are all set to divert our crops to the mills of Uttarakhand and Haryana, where the state farmers would get an adequate price for the produce. If the government today fails to take necessary steps, we will have no other option other than to sell the produce to other states," said BKU National Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait.
Rejecting the state's declared support price of sugarcane at Rs 165 to Rs170, sugarcane farmers across Uttar Pradesh have been on a war path for two months, as they want at least Rs 220 per quintal for their produce.
On November 19, thousands of farmers from the state had gathered in the national capital to raise the issue. The issue has figured several times in parliament as well.
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