MPs write to Modi on sugar prices

Parliamentarians from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addressing the problem faced by cane farmers due to non-payment of arrears by sugar mills in the three states, which are among the largest sugar producing states in the country.

About three dozen MPs from the three sugarcane-growing states have shot off a letter to Modi seeking time to brief him about the problems faced by cane-growers due to falling prices of the sweetener. “We have sought time from the prime minister so we can put forth the problems faced by cane-farmers,” said Sanjay Patil, a Lok Sabha member from the BJP.

The members contend that cane-growers have not benefited adequately from the Rs 6,600-crore bailout package the Centre had offered the ailing sugar industry.