New Delhi: Assembly election in Punjab (Punjab Assembly Election 2022) is on 20 February. The election campaign is in its final stages. In such a situation, all the political parties are engaged in making voters in their favor but there are some voters in the state who have already decided not to vote. One such village is Lakhpur. This village is located in the Kapurthala district of Punjab. This district is famous for sugarcane cultivation. But this time sugarcane farmers are very angry. According to the news of ANI, these sugarcane farmers are disappointed due to not giving money on time. Farmers say that no matter what the government is, there is no one to take care of them. That’s why they will not vote this time.
Farmers say, what is the use of voting when the government does not listen to us. Actually, the price of sugarcane that the government has increased is very less. Apart from this, the farmers allege that the money for sugarcane is never available on time. Talking to ANI, Santokh Singh, a sugarcane farmer of Lakhpur village, says, I cultivate sugarcane in about 10 acres of land. Sugarcane business is not doing well right now. The government is also not taking it seriously.
Payment pending for two years
Santokh Singh said, it takes a full year to grow sugarcane and when we take it to the sugar mill, we face payment problems. Phagwara Sugar Mill has not paid 32 crores for 2019-20 and 6 crores for 2020-21. Payment of 2 years is still stuck on Phagwara sugar mill. The total outstanding is 38 crores. The government said that the payment is in the process but the dues have not been paid yet. Santokh Singh further said, the Punjab government has fixed the price of sugarcane at Rs 360 per quintal after increasing it by Rs 50 per quintal. But private sugar mills said that they cannot pay that much money. Then after talks, it was decided that the sugar mills would pay the farmers at the rate of Rs 325 per quintal and the remaining Rs 35 per quintal would be paid by the Punjab government.
No hope from any government
Another farmer, Satwinder Singh, expressed disappointment and said, “The cost of growing sugarcane has increased. Seeds and fertilizers are touching the sky. We take land on rent, whose rate has also increased. But the price of sugarcane has increased very little. He said that we are not getting the price that the government has fixed. In the name of profit from sugarcane cultivation, we are getting the price of daily wages. Satwinder Singh said that we have seen all the parties. Nobody did anything. There is no hope from anyone now. Unemployment has increased in Punjab for the last few years, youth are moving towards agriculture. Parminder Singh, a young farmer said, the situation right now is that youth cannot make agriculture a career. Because there is no help from the government. I cultivate on 10 acres of land, but we do not get much profit. Like a daily wage laborer, I barely earn Rs 300 a day. Our earnings are going to the government and sugar mills. Don’t know when it will be available.
