In Uttar Pradesh, the government today hiked minimum state advisory price SAP of sugar cane by 40 rupees per quintal for current crushing season.It was announced by the Chief Minister Mayawati after the meeting of state cabinet at Lucknow.She said that cane farmers will be given sugar cane price of 240 to 250 rupees per quintal for different verities by the all sugar mills of the state.The Chief Minister has claimed that over 40 lakh cane farmer families will be benefitted with this decision of the government.She has said that some sugar mills in western districts have started crushing cane and the remaining will start in next three days.She has pointed out that in last five year the BSP government has doubled the sugarcane SAP given to farmers in 2007.At the other hand all major opposition parties including Samajwadi Party, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal have accused that the price of cane announced by the government is insufficient and in the interest of the sugar mill owners.Most of the parties have demanded that minimum 300 rupees per quintal should be given to the farmers.Farmer organisations have also said that announcement of SAP has been delayed by a month this year, which forced marginal farmers to go for distress sale of their produce to Khandsari units at a low price. They have said that farmers will be in loss, as per UP Council of Sugar Cane Research, Shahjahanpur.The council has said that the input cost increased this year by 34.5% due to increase in cost of labour, diesel and fertilisers. It has been said that farmers have spent 48 rupees extra on inputs, while they will receive 35 rupees, so a loss of 13 rupees per quintal in comparison to last year.