The farmers have launched a long agitation on the issue and have even offered to give an undertaking to cultivate sugarcane, in case the mill is made functional. (Representational image)
At a time when the Haryana government is vociferously promoting crop diversification, the farmers of Fatehabad district have assured the authorities that they will plant sugarcane in place of paddy if the government is ready to revive the dysfunctional sugar mill of Bhuna town.
“Sugarcane is the best answer to check the depleting water level. It requires very less water in comparison to paddy. We also want water conservation. We may have savings like of paddy crop, if we opt for sugarcane,” said Balbir Singh, a farmer activist from Fatehabad district on Friday. In Ratia block of Fatehabad district, the water level has gone below 40 metres.
Two days ago, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said, “…now when we have asked to reduce the area under paddy cultivation, the farmers say they will plant sugarcane by leaving paddy if the government makes the Bhuna sugar mill functional”.
However, the chief minister said that sugar mills are facing losses because of low prices of sugar in comparison to input cost. “If the farmers are ready to face losses and benefits of Bhuna Sugar Mill, we are ready to make it functional. The farmers may run it on real cooperative basis,” said the chief minister in a press conference.
According to Khattar, the mill was sold to private hands during the previous Congress regime but they could not run it “because of shortage of sugarcane as the farmers had opted for paddy cultivation”.
“The private (player) even offered to return it to the government but the government refused saying it has been sold to them and they should run it. This conflict kept going on for 7-8 years. When the matter went to the judiciary, the court also suggested to resolve it by negotiations. The matter was resolved after the appointment of an arbitrator. The private (player) is still ready to return it,” added the chief minister.
On the other hand, farmers of the area had launched a long agitation on the issue. They have even offered to give an undertaking to cultivate sugarcane, in case the mill is made functional. Even in the absence of a functional sugar mill, the sugarcane area has increased to 1,352 hectares in Fatehabad district in 2019-20 from just 280 hectares in 2015-16. “The Bhuna sugar mill can cater the needs of sugarcane growers of other neighbouring districts including Hisar and Sirsa too because of its central location to these districts,” said farmer activist Balbir Singh.
A farmer leader from Fatehabad, Mandeep Nathwan, who had recently led a tractor march against the restrictions on paddy cultivation, told The Indian Express that they have planned kisan panchayats to press for the demand of the sugar mill. “In the absence of a sugar mill, we have limited options for alternative crops in place of paddy in this area,” he added.