Punjab: CM Bhagwant Mann hikes sugarcane price by Rs 11 per quintal to Rs 391

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced a hike of Rs 11 per quintal in sugarcane price, saying the new rate of Rs 391 a quintal is the highest in the country.

The announcement came days after the chief minister assured farmers of "good news" in the coming days.

"With an increase of Rs 11, the new rate will be Rs 391 per quintal, which will be the highest in the country," Mann said in a post on social media platform X.

Earlier, farmers held protests demanding an increase in sugarcane price from Rs 380 per quintal to Rs 450 per quintal.

On Friday last week, farmers held a demonstration on a national highway in Jalandhar but decided to end their stir after Bhagwant Mann's assurance.

"As far as increasing the rate of sugarcane goes, Punjab has always been ahead," Mann had said last week.

Protestors under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha had blocked the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of the Jalandhar-New Delhi National Highway near Dhanowali village.

The strike ended on the fourth day after a meeting between farmer leaders and the chief minister.

Neighbouring state Haryana had last month announced a hike of Rs 14 in the sugarcane price to Rs 386 a quintal.