After protests, government agrees to restore earlier sugarcane pricing

New Delhi, Nov 20 : Bowing to angry protests from opposition parties and farmers, the government Friday agreed to restore the earlier sugarcane prices.

The issue was resolved at an all-party meeting convened by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. The government has also decided to bring in a new bill on sugarcane pricing in parliament.

Coming out of the meeting, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh said that the previous pricing for sugarcane had been restored in which the state government would announce the price.

"The farmers will get a price higher than the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP)," Ajit Singh said, adding that a new bill will be brought by the government in parliament. He said that the difference in pricing -- between that recommended by the central government and the state government -- would be borne by the mill owners.

Ajit Singh also said that the protest by farmers had ended and that parliament would function normally from Monday.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj said that the government had decided to restore the State Advised Price (SAP). "We welcome the government's decision as it has prevented damage to the federal structure of the constitution," she said.

Sushma Swaraj also said the real credit for the government's decision to delete the controversial provision on pricing in the ordinance went to the agitating farmers who had exerted pressure on the government to accept their demand.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the UPA government was pro-farmer. She said UPA leaders met in the morning and decided to delete the controversial clause in the ordinance.

--IANS