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It could be a dark Diwali for sugarcane growers in western Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of kolhu s, or jaggery-making units, which traditionally provide money to cane growers before the start of the crushing season, are yet to commence operations.
The delay is because labourers have fled the region after the recent communal violence that rocked Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas, claiming over 60 lives.
The jaggery season started about 10 days late this year. On Tuesday, around 250 quintals of jaggery arrived at the Muzaffarnagar market, which is much lower than the usual 1,500 quintals, said Arun Khandelwal, president, Gur Traders Association.
“Less than 10 per cent of the estimated 3,500 kolhus in the region have started their operations,” Khandelwal said, adding it may take some time to for things to return to normal considering the trust deficit among various communities.
The sugarcane economy is integral to the western UP region that accounts for about 60 per cent of the cane produced in the State. Also, UP accounts for about 55 lakh tonnes of the 95 lakh tonnes of jaggery produced in the country. At an average price of Rs 30,000 a tonne, the jaggery industry in UP is estimated at Rs 16,500 crore.
Meanwhile, there have been couple of instances of cane fields being set ablaze triggering further panic in the region, says Sudhir Panwar, president of Kisan Jagriti Manch, a farmers’ body.
“In the absence of enough kolhus , cane growers are totally at the mercy of sugar millers, which are yet to clear last year’s dues,” says Panwar. Mills in UP owe farmers around Rs 2,500 crore.
Though kolhus normally offer a price lower than the State Advised Price for cane, the cash payment they make helps growers tide over their cash-flow requirements during the festival time of Dasara-Diwali, a farmer from Shamli said.
Khandelwal said the low arrivals have not impacted prices as yet because of adequate stocks. On Tuesday, gur prices ruled at around Rs 1,190 per 40 kg at the Muzaffarnagar market.
> vishwanath.kulkarni@thehindu.co
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