Pawar calls all-party meeting on sugarcane pricing

With the government facing hurdles in finalising amendments to the bill on sugarcane pricing, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Wednesday convened an all-party meeting to thrash out a political consensus on the issue.

Briefing about the deliberations of the meeting, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj said parties from southern states had reservations over the government's plan to delete clause 5 (a) in the Sugar Control Order, which allows sugarcane farmers to get some money over the minimum price fixed by state governments.

She said north Indian states had been fixing state advised price (SAP) and never had the need to use the provisions of clause 5 (a) since the price they fixed was higher than the minimum price.

The BJP leader also said the government would now find a way out after discussing the issue with political parties from the southern states.

The government has decided to introduce fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane, which would be fixed after taking into account various factors, Swaraj said.

Following stringent opposition to its move to ask the state governments to give the difference between the SAP and FRP, the central government agreed to restore the previous system under which the difference was paid by the sugar mills.

The opposition had come together on the issue at the start of the winter session of parliament and the government had agreed to come with an amended bill to replace the ordinance.

Though the bill was originally scheduled to be introduced Monday, the government is still trying to forge a consensus on its details.

ps/sj/vt

( 275 Words)

2009-11-25-20:07:52 (IANS)

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