Pilibhit witnessed a significant protest on Saturday when nearly 1,000 farmers, led by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee state secretary Kumud Gangwar, gathered outside the residence of Sugarcane Development Minister Sanjay Singh Gangwar. The farmers demanded the clearance of over Rs 200 crore in pending sugarcane dues.
The protest lasted approximately six hours and concluded after Minister Singh, who was in Lucknow, spoke to Kumud over the phone. During the conversation, he assured that Rs 5 crore of the arrears owed by Barkhera-based Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Mill would be released within a week, with the remaining dues to be cleared soon.
In addition to the payment demand, the protesters called for the revival of the Majhola Cooperative Sugar Mill, which has been closed since November 2009. The minister offered to arrange a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, but Kumud declined, stating that farmers sought a resolution to the payment crisis rather than a meeting. She warned that if the assurance was not honored, thousands of affected farmers would gherao the chief minister's residence.
Kumud highlighted that the Oswal Sugar Mill in Nawabganj, Bareilly district, owed farmers approximately Rs 70 crore for sugarcane supplied during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 crushing seasons. The mill ceased operations after the 2025-26 season without clearing the dues.
According to district cane department records, Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Mill procured 42.38 lakh quintals of sugarcane worth Rs 167.81 crore after commencing operations on November 15 last year. The mill paid only Rs 34.58 crore, leaving arrears of Rs 133.23 crore. Officials noted that the mill made its last payment on November 26 and ended its crushing season on February 24 this year.
District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh stated that he would speak to the mill management and set a deadline for clearing the dues. He warned, "Otherwise, the administration will confiscate the mill's sugar and by-products, auction the stocks, and clear farmers' payments by raising liquidity."
