"The cane mafia register themselves as cane farmers and during the crushing season, buy the crop from small farmers at cheaper rates and pass on the same to the sugar mills at the government ascertained rates, which are much higher," a senior cane department official told Business Standard.
Last year, a similar survey had identified 2.75 lakh sugarcane mafia and fake sugarcane farmers in the state. The survey jointly conducted by the UP government and state sugar mills, started on May 1 and will continue till June 20. Almost 7,000 strong personnel of the sugarcane department and private sugar mills are engaged in the massive survey work.
There are an estimated 40 lakh sugarcane farmers in UP and total requirement of all the sugar mills operating in the state is pegged at 80 million tonnes. The survey also ensures that the sugar mills in UP are assured of regular sugarcane supply during crushing season while any hitch. The survey data is also required to be ratified by the respective 'gram sabhas' and cane farmers have to file a declaration form.
Meanwhile, to ensure time-bound completion of the survey, all the officials, including cane development inspectors (CDI), senior CDIs, district cane officers, deputy cane commissioners and joint cane commissioners, have been allotted targets.
Finally, a sugarcane calendar will be distributed to farmers in the month of October, which mentions the date when the respective sugar mills would buy their produce.
Under the sugar law, the cane farmers are statutorily compelled to supply their produce to a sugar factory to which they are tied under the order of UP cane commissioner - commonly known as reservation order.
Meanwhile, the area under sugarcane produce this year is likely to register a shortfall of about 15-20 per cent due to the delay in cane payment and confusion over the price since last crushing season.
There are 132 sugar mills in UP, of which 17 are owned by the state sugar corporation, while 22 and 93 are operating in the cooperatives and private sector respectively. This year, five more private sugar mills are likely to come up.
The state is the country's largest sugarcane producer and the second largest sugar producer after Maharashtra and the issue of sugarcane payment figures prominently on the agenda of all the political parties.
