Lucknow, Oct. 23 -- Demanding a hike in sugarcane prices and timely clearance of pending cane dues, a large number of farmers , including women, attended a mahapanchayat organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) at the Ganna Sansthan in Lucknow on Friday.

The gathering turned into a platform for farmers to highlight the widening gap between the cost of cultivation and returns from agriculture, with BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait accusing the BJP government of failing to safeguard farmers' interests.

The union's principal demand was an increase in the minimum support price of sugarcane, with its leaders arguing that farmers were struggling to sustain cultivation as the cost of agricultural inputs continued to rise without a correspond...