HALDWANI: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami received a warm and celebratory welcome from farmers during his visit to Haldwani on Wednesday, days after the state government announced a substantial increase in the sugarcane support price.The announcement has been widely hailed by cultivators across Uttarakhand as a major relief measure ahead of the crushing season.Farmers from various districts gathered at the programme, where they presented the Chief Minister with a specially curated basket symbolising the state’s agricultural richness.The basket, offered by BJP Kisan Morcha State President Mahendra Singh Negi, contained sugarcane along with traditional hill produce such as Gaderi (colocasia), Malta (citrus fruit), ginger and honey.The gesture reflected the gratitude of the farming community for what they described as a proactive and timely government intervention.Addressing the gathering, Negi said the decision to hike the sugarcane support price would directly benefit nearly three lakh farmers in the state. He termed the move a decisive step toward fulfilling the goal of doubling farmers’ income and strengthening rural livelihoods.The state government has raised the support price by Rs 30 per quintal, taking the rate for early-maturing sugarcane from Rs 375 to Rs 405 per quintal, while the price for the general variety has been revised from Rs 365 to Rs 395 per quintal. With the revision, Uttarakhand has now overtaken neighbouring Uttar Pradesh in offering a higher sugarcane support price, positioning itself among the more farmer-centric states in the region.Chief minister Dhami, in his address, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring economic empowerment for the farming community. He emphasised that securing fair and stable prices for agricultural produce remains one of his administration’s top priorities.Those present at the event and expressing gratitude included State Kisan Morcha in-charge Rajendra Singh Bisht, Sandeep Kuksal, Harish Sunal, Narendra Mehra, Sobhan Singh, Bhairav Kholiya, Ravindra Raikuni, Anandmani Bhatt and several other farmers from the region.