Sugar Industry Woes: Congress accuses BJP of Neglect in Uttar Pradesh

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP government has neglected Uttar Pradesh farmers frequent calls to increase the price of sugarcane and ignored the plight of once-thriving sugar industry in the state.Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Etawah and Dhaurahra.Why has the trauma centre in Sitapur Hospital been defunct for 7 years

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP government has neglected Uttar Pradesh farmers' frequent calls to increase the price of sugarcane and 'ignored' the plight of once-thriving sugar industry in the state.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Etawah and Dhaurahra.

''Why has the trauma centre in Sitapur Hospital been defunct for 7 years? Was the promise to prioritise Tomato-Onion-Potato (TOP) yet another jumla? Why have sugarcane prices remained abysmally low in UP?'' Ramesh said in a post on X.

Ramesh said the trauma centre at the Sitapur District Hospital has been lying unused for seven years. It was built during the tenure of the previous state government but the BJP has neglected it since coming to power, he alleged.

''As a result, patients often have to go all the way to Lucknow to avail of treatment. Why has the BJP government so callously endangered the lives of the people? Why has the trauma centre been gathering dust for the last 7 years?'' he asked.

Ramesh further said the potato farmers in the state have struggled because of massive price fluctuations in the last few years. Asserting that Uttar Pradesh is India's largest potato producer, Ramesh said last year, potato growers in areas like Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kannauj and Auraiya reported selling their produce at rates below the state government's minimum price because of high produce.

''Farmers were only able to fetch Rs 500 per quintal, less than half their production cost of Rs 1200-1400 per quintal. In 2018, the PM had made the grand promise that Tomato, Onion, and Potato (TOP) were the TOP priority of his government. What happened to this TOP promise? Was it yet another jumla?'' he said.

''According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh is India's largest sugarcane producer. Yet, the BJP government has neglected farmers' frequent calls to increase the price of sugarcane,'' he alleged.

He said the sugarcane prices stood at Rs 360 per quintal in UP, which is lower than Rs 386 per quintal in Punjab and Rs 391 per quintal in Haryana. ''Price hikes have also failed to keep pace with inflation and farmers are now struggling due to the rising cost of fertilisers and pesticides. The area under cultivation has also come down by almost 4,000 hectares in the last three years, which is now causing problems for UP's sugar mills,'' the Congress leader said.

Amidst sugarcane shortages, mills are struggling to pay farmers on time, and many fear that the mills will shut down permanently, he alleged.

''This vicious cycle is threatening the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers and mill workers but the BJP government is nowhere to be seen. Can the PM tell us why the BJP has ignored the plight of UP's once thriving sugar industry?'' Ramesh said asking the prime minister to break his ''silence'' on these issues.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)