A Bitter Turn For Sugar

A Glut In Production Is Depressing Prices, Exacerbating Farmers’ Woes And Upending The Political Fortunes Of Many A Political Party

- M.G. Arun

SURENDRA SINGH, 40, A FARMER with 15 bighas of land (four bighas comprise roughly an acre) in Malakpur village of Baghpat district in western Uttar Pradesh, is distraught. He uses most of his land to grow sugarcane, producing 600 quintals a year, and earning close to Rs 2 lakh a year. However, so far this year, he has got only half the payment from the Malakpur Sugar Mill, to whom he supplies his produce. Excess sugar production has depressed sugar prices, hitting sugar mill revenues. Singh, a father of two schoolgoing children, has used most of the money to repay his debt, leaving him little for his household. “Schools will reopen on July 2, and I am left with no money to pay my children’s fees,” he laments. He has taken up the issue with the deputy sugarcane commissioner in the region, who has promised “strict action” if Singh’s dues aren’t cleared in two weeks. That is hardly a consolation, as Singh knows only too well that the sugar mills hold immense clout among local authorities and he may have a long wait for his payment.