Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh): Sugarcane harvest has soured the lives of some farmers in western Uttar Pradesh. The crop is bumper but there are no takers. "We are facing a lot of trouble now. Most of the sugarcane which we have grown cannot be converted into the sugar as the mill is closed. We are now selling our crops as a fodder," lamented Devendra Pal Singh, a sugarcane farmer in Aligarh.

Several sugar mills in the region have been shut. Their owners have not been able to clear pending dues of farmers due to the low selling price of sugar, caused by excess production and a decline in global sugar prices.