Bagaha (Bihar), Sept 7: Hundreds of sugarcane farmers staged a protest in Bagaha on Monday, demanding that the price of sugarcane be increased from the existing Rs 600 to Rs 650 per quintal, citing rising cultivation costs and inflation.
The farmers, who came from different parts of West Champaran district, including areas bordering Nepal and Uttar Pradesh, arrived with sugarcane-loaded tractor-trolleys and staged an agitation along the NH-727.
The protest was organised under the banner of the Sugarcane Cultivators Association, Bihar. Raising slogans against government policies and sugar mills, the farmers pressed for a fixed sugarcane price of Rs 650 per quintal.
The protesters said the prices of essential agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, seeds, irrigation and labour, have increased considerably, making it increasingly difficult to sustain sugarcane cultivation at the current price.
They also argued that despite an increase in sugar prices and the overall cost of living, sugarcane growers have not received a corresponding increase in the price of their produce.
Following the protest, a delegation of farmers submitted a memorandum to Bagaha SDM Chandni Kumari, urging the administration to consider their demand and ensure an increase in the sugarcane price.
Ramkumar alias Chhote Srivastava, state secretary of the Sugarcane Cultivators Association, Bihar, said the cost of cultivating sugarcane was continuously rising and farmers would find it difficult to continue growing the crop without remunerative returns.
“The cost of sugarcane cultivation is steadily increasing,” Srivastava said.
He warned that if farmers did not receive a fair price for their produce, sugarcane cultivation could become increasingly difficult in the future.
“If farmers don’t receive a fair price for their produce, it will become difficult for them to cultivate sugarcane in the future,” he said.
Srivastava said the agitation on NH-727 was aimed at drawing the attention of the government and administration to the concerns of sugarcane growers.
“The farmers’ protest along the NH-727 main road is an attempt to convey the demands of sugarcane producers to the government and administration,” he said.
The farmers appealed to the administration to seriously consider their demand and take an appropriate decision on increasing the sugarcane price from Rs 600 to Rs 650 per quintal.
The protest comes amid concerns among sugarcane growers over rising input costs and the viability of continuing cultivation at the existing price.
