New Delhi, 10 November (H.S.): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national headquarters in-charge and Member of Parliament Tarun Chugh has accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government of neglecting sugarcane farmers, pointing out that the crushing season is about to begin but the state has yet to announce the State Advised Price (SAP) for sugarcane for the 2026-27 season. He said the silence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government on this crucial issue concerning farmers was difficult to understand.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chugh said the Bhagwant Mann government had promised to provide sugarcane farmers with the highest price in the country. However, while the Haryana government had already announced its revised sugarcane price, farmers in Punjab were still waiting for an answer from their own government.

He noted that Punjab's previous State Advised Price for sugarcane stood at Rs. 416 per quintal. Questioning the delay, he asked why a government that had made extensive promises to farmers was yet to announce the price ahead of the new crushing season.

Chugh further claimed that payments amounting to approximately Rs. 7 crore to sugarcane farmers for the previous crushing season were still pending. In addition, an outstanding amount of around Rs. 27.74 crore linked to the Phagwara sugar mill was adding to farmers' difficulties.

He said the state government had announced a subsidy of Rs. 68.50 per quintal in January 2026 and should clarify how many farmers had actually received the benefit and how much of the announced amount remained unpaid.

Chugh demanded that the Punjab government announce the State Advised Price for the 2026-27 sugarcane season without further delay, make the status of all pending payments public and ensure that farmers receive timely payment for their produce.

Punjab's farmers, he said, no longer needed announcements and assurances but accountability and concrete action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar