New Delhi: Yogi government’s decisions have changed the fate and the face of sugarcane farmers and sugar industry, respectively, in Uttar Pradesh. Along with giving a new flight to the dying sugar industry, the state government has turned the tables around by setting a new record of payment to sugarcane farmers.
So far, the state government has made a record payment of Rs 1,37,518 crore to more than 45.44 lakh sugarcane farmers. This is twice the BSP government and one and a half times more than the SP government.
A total payment of 52,131 crores was made to sugarcane farmers in BSP government, while total payment of 95,215 crores was made to sugarcane farmers in five years of SP government’s regime.
Yogi government has also paid arrears of sugarcane farmers of Rs 10661.09 crore during the tenure of Akhilesh government. In the previous governments, the sugar mills that were shutting down one after another were not only restarted by the state government but Uttar Pradesh, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, became number one in the production of sugar in the country.
The state government has crushed a total of more than 4,289 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced a record 475.69 lakh tonnes of sugar in UP including three crushing seasons and the current crushing season 2020-21.
In a record making, from the year 2017-18 to January 31, 2021, a total of 280.54 crore liters of ethanol have been produced in the state through 54 distilleries.
For the first time in 25 years, licenses were issued for setting up 267 new Khandsari units. Out of which 176 units have been operationalized. With an investment of Rs 388 crore in these units, about 20,000 people will get employment opportunities.
Under the SP and BSP governments, sugarcane farmers had to run from pillar to post for payment of their dues. Troubled by the situation, many farmers were giving up on sugarcane production. But the Yogi government has returned the sweetness of sugarcane to the farmers by making a historic payment of sugarcane price.
CM Yogi has put all his efforts to make sure not a single sugar mills get closed, as a result, all the 119 mills were working during the lockdown period. There are more than 45.44 lakh sugarcane supplier farmers in the state and about 67 lakh farmers are associated with sugarcane cultivation.
Today 47% of the sugar production in the country is being produced in the state. The sugarcane sector contributes 8.45 percent to the state’s GDP and 20.18 percent to the GDP of the agriculture sector.
In the previous governments, 21 sugar mills were closed between 2007 and 2017. Whereas the Yogi government restarted 20 closed sugar mills.
State-of-the-art mills (with more capacity), were set up in Pipraich town of Gorakhpur, Mundera town of Basti. The capacity of the closed Ramala Sugar Mill was increased and was made operational. The closed sugar mills of Sambhal and Saharanpur have also been reopened. Cogeneration plant has been set up by increasing the capacity of Baghpat Sugar Mill.
Apart from this, the capacity of 11 private mills was also increased. Venus, Daya and Wave sugar mills that were closed for eight years have also been restarted. Ethanol plants were also set up in Sathiaon and Najibabad cooperative mills.