Karnataka sugarcane farmers demand Rs 4,500 per tonne, threaten statewide protest
Karnataka sugarcane farmers protested in Bengaluru, demanding ₹4,500 per tonne, a state-specific price, ethanol profit sharing and financial relief. They warned of statewide agitation after November 20. Meanwhile, Belagavi farmers withdrew their prolonged protest after sugar factories agreed to an initial payment of ₹3,600 per tonne.
Bengaluru: Thousands of sugarcane farmers staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday, demanding better prices for their produce and financial support from the state government. They warned of a statewide agitation if their demands were not addressed by November 20, The New Indian Express reported.
The protest was organised by the Sugarcane Growers’ Coordination Committee, Karnataka. The farmers submitted a list of demands to Sugar Minister Rudrappa Lamani, who visited the protest site.
The farmers accused the state and Union governments of following policies that were against their interests. They also criticised the arrest of sugarcane growers who had been protesting in Belagavi for the past two months, alleging that the action was aimed at weakening the farmers’ movement. They rejected the sugarcane price fixed in Belagavi district, saying it was not based on a fair assessment.
The farmers demanded that the state government announce a separate sugarcane price in addition to the rate fixed by the Centre. They said the price should also consider the income sugar factories earn from products made using sugarcane. They pointed to Tamil Nadu, which provides an additional incentive of Rs 709 per tonne, and Punjab, where the state price is Rs 4,480 per tonne.
They also urged the Union government to increase the minimum sugarcane price to Rs 4,500 per tonne for a sugar recovery rate of 10.25%. They cited the production cost of Rs 4,440 per tonne submitted by the Karnataka government last year.
Another major demand was to calculate the sugarcane price at the farm gate so that farmers would not have to bear harvesting and transportation expenses. The committee also sought a reduction in the sugar recovery rate used for calculating the price from 10.25% to 9.5%. It called for strict measures to prevent irregularities in sugarcane weighing and the calculation of sugar recovery.
The farmers further demanded that the price of sugar be increased to Rs 60 per kg and that the additional income generated be used to improve sugarcane prices. They sought a share in the profits from ethanol production and changes in the existing policy to allow farmers to produce ethanol.
Their other demands included strict enforcement of the rule requiring sugar factories to pay farmers within 16 days, a waiver of farm loans in drought-affected taluks, compensation of at least Rs 25,000 per acre and withdrawal of police cases registered against protesting farmers.
Minister Lamani assured the farmers that he would discuss their demands with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. He also promised to arrange a meeting with farmers’ representatives soon to find solutions to their concerns.
Belagavi farmers withdraw protest after factories agree to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne
Meanwhile, sugarcane farmers in Belagavi district called off their prolonged agitation on Thursday after sugar factories agreed to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne as the first payment for sugarcane.
Following the agreement, farmer leaders announced the withdrawal of the protest and appealed to growers to allow sugar factories to restart crushing operations.
The agreement was reached at a meeting organised under the leadership of Hukkeri Hiremath seer Chandrashekhar Shivacharya Swamiji. He played an important role in bringing farmers and sugar factory representatives together to resolve the dispute.
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Source : ChiniMandi
