Date:22/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112255360600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Plea to declare SAP for sugarcane

Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM: The Lok Satta Party has demanded that the government announce state advisory price (SAP) per tonne of sugarcane and save growers from incurring losses.

At a press conference on Friday, party district president B.A. Babji said that the crop area of sugarcane had fallen drastically due to high labour and input costs and low returns.

The crop area in the district dropped to 37,439 hectares from 49,256 ha last year.

As a result, crushing in Bhimasingi Cooperative Sugars here would not exceed 1 lakh tonnes this season when compared to 1.30 lakh tonnes during the season ended in April this year.

As per the statutory minimum price (SMP) of Rs. 811.80 per tonne last year, Bhimasingi Sugars paid Rs. 989.70 per tonne on 9 per cent recovery rate, Mr. Babji said. He asked the government to fix Rs. 1,200 per tonne this year and encourage them to increase the crop area.

With regard to closure of belt shops in villages, he asked the TDP and the Congress to make their stand clear as they were opposing closure of their shops in rural areas. He also criticised the TDP for “doublespeak” on acquisition of land for Jindal.

M. Subhadra Devi, district president, and I. Anata Lakshmi, zonal coordinator of Mahila Satta, and B. Venugopal, secretary, were present.