Pune: Alleging that a new policy decision taken by the Central government will adversely affect farmers, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has said it is planning to move the Supreme Court over the decision. The Centre has planned to change the criteria benchmarks used to decide the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane, which according to the Sanghatana, will cause a loss of more than Rs 1,435 crore to farmers.
The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, which had highlighted the change in the benchmark earlier too, said that even after its chief and MP Raju Shetti brought the potential loss to the fore, the Centre has treated it with negligence. The policy decision, wherein the base slab of FRP which was earlier 9.5 pc recovery, is to be raised to 10 pc recovery, will according to the Sanghatana, cause a loss of Rs 4.5 thousand crores to farmers on a national level and 1.75 thousand on the state level.
Yogesh Pande of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, said that earlier at 9.5 recovery, the rate per tonne paid to sugarcane farmers was Rs 2,550 after which for every percentage increase there was a rise of Rs 270. But from the next crushing season, the rates have been kept at Rs 2,750 per tonne after 10 pc recovery, which according to Pande, means the farmer whose cane gave a recovery of 11.5 pc, would fetch him Rs 3,162 against the earlier Rs 3,328. With increased fuel rates, the mills will cut fuel and labour costs from this reduced rate.
“Over the coming season, almost 900 lakh tonnes of sugarcane is expected to be crushed. Considering the 10 pc recovery slab, farmers will be facing a loss of Rs 165 per tonne. We are approaching the Supreme Court against this new method of calculation,” Pande said.
