Marking the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, Sahakar Bharati Uttar Pradesh held its State Sugar Cell Conference at Chaudhary Charan Singh Auditorium in Lucknow on Sunday. The event saw participation from hundreds of sugarcane farmers and representatives of cooperative sugar mills across the state.
National Vice President and UP In-charge of Sahakar Bharati, Sunil Gupta, was the chief speaker, while state president Arun Singh, UP Sugar Cooperative Federation Vice President Rishikant Rai, organization chief Karmveer Singh, and women’s head Meenakshi Rai were among the key dignitaries present.
Addressing the gathering, Gupta highlighted several central initiatives under the Ministry of Cooperation-such as amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Act, a new cooperative policy, cooperative seed and export-import organizations, the Umbrella for Urban Banks, and efforts to double farmers’ income. He noted that 234 cooperative sugar mills contribute about 30% of India’s total sugar output.
Despite these achievements, Gupta acknowledged the serious challenges faced by cooperative mills and farmers, including delayed payments and administrative apathy. He assured that the 14-point demand memorandum submitted by the Sugar Cell would be presented to both the state and central governments for prompt redressal.
