Karnataka: Sugarcane farmers call off week-long protest; mills to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne
Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka’s Belagavi district called off their week-long protest after sugar factories agreed to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne, around Rs 50 higher than last season. The settlement is expected to allow all 29 district mills to begin crushing operations.
Belagavi: Sugarcane farmers in Belagavi district have called off their week-long protest following an agreement with sugar factory owners to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne of sugarcane. The agreed price is around Rs 50 per tonne higher than last season, The Hindu reported.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between farmers and factory owners in Belagavi on Wednesday night. Following the settlement, all 29 sugar factories in the district are expected to commence crushing operations from Thursday.
District in-charge Minister and sugar factory owner Satish Jarkiholi said the agreed price would apply only to sugar mills in Belagavi district. He added that factories had agreed to pay a higher price if the Union government revised sugar or sugarcane prices.
Jarkiholi said the economic conditions and challenges faced by farmers cultivating rain-fed and irrigated sugarcane were different. However, representatives of both categories participated in the meeting, helping the two sides reach a common understanding.
He described the agreement as a temporary solution, stating that farmers had raised several other demands. Issues concerning the revision of the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar and the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane fall under the Union government’s jurisdiction.
He said the state government could consider reviewing the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane after a year. Jarkiholi also pointed out that private, government-owned and cooperative sugar factories operate under different financial conditions, which farmers supplying cane should take into account.
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Source : ChiniMandi
