Cane growers near PTR will not get early supply tickets

  • | Tuesday | 17th July, 2018

We had accepted the request of forest authorities to prioritize the issuance of cane supply tickets to these villages. Sukhdeep Singh Laadi, gram pradhan of village Barahi, wondered, “How can the forest authorities compel us to change our cropping pattern in accordance with their convenience? Forest authorities were confident that farmers would respond favorably to their appeal to discourage cane cultivation in fields situated in proximity to the forest,” said Jitendra Kumar Mishra, district cane officer.Instead farmers of these villages took undue advantage of early supply to mills and expanded area under cane cultivation. Pilibhit: The district cane department in Pilibhit has decided to withdraw issuance of early cane supply tickets to farmers living in villages adjoining Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.This facility was aimed at letting farmers clear their cane fields at the earliest as tigers are known to lurk amid its stalks and can attack humans.But during the last crushing season, area under cane cultivation has increased by 16%. “It is their duty and they will have to carry it out without any excuse,” Laadi added.

Pilibhit: The district cane department in Pilibhit has decided to withdraw issuance of early cane supply tickets to farmers living in villages adjoining Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.This facility was aimed at letting farmers clear their cane fields at the earliest as tigers are known to lurk amid its stalks and can attack humans.But during the last crushing season, area under cane cultivation has increased by 16%. In the previous year, sugarcane was sown across 87,787 hectares. But it is expected to go beyond 1.0 lakh hectares this time.“Sugarcane cultivation has increased even in the 275 villages in PTR’s eco-sensitive zone. We had accepted the request of forest authorities to prioritize the issuance of cane supply tickets to these villages. Forest authorities were confident that farmers would respond favorably to their appeal to discourage cane cultivation in fields situated in proximity to the forest,” said Jitendra Kumar Mishra, district cane officer.Instead farmers of these villages took undue advantage of early supply to mills and expanded area under cane cultivation. “As the prime motive behind extending the out-of-turn facility to cane growers has failed to dissuade them to stop sowing cane near forests, we are withdrawing it from the current season,” said Mishra.While the move has been welcomed by PTR’s deputy director Adarsh Kumar, villagers are angry. Sukhdeep Singh Laadi, gram pradhan of village Barahi, wondered, “How can the forest authorities compel us to change our cropping pattern in accordance with their convenience? Farmers are blackmailed and duped by government purchase agencies and their middlemen in the name of procurement of paddy and wheat whereas sugar mills make full payment of minimum support price even if the payments are delayed”.He said forest authorities cannot transfer the responsibility of tigers straying into human habitats on sugarcane growers. “It is their duty and they will have to carry it out without any excuse,” Laadi added.

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