Karnataka sugarcane growers seek Rs 4,500/tonne FRP, cite drought and rising costs
Karnataka’s sugarcane growers’ association urged the Centre to raise cane FRP to ₹4,500 per tonne, citing drought, higher cultivation and labour costs and declining yields. It also sought changes to FRP calculation, relaxed ethanol restrictions and drought relief measures.
Hubballi: The Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association has urged Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi to take steps to raise the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane to at least Rs 4,500 per tonne, citing drought conditions, rising cultivation and labour costs, and declining cane yields, The Hindu reported.
Addressing the media in Hubballi on Thursday, association State president Kurubur Shanthakumar said sugarcane growers were under severe financial pressure as deficient rainfall had affected production while expenditure on fertilizers, labour and cultivation had increased.
He also questioned the existing mechanism for determining FRP payments based on the sugar recovery recorded from cane supplied by farmers in the previous year. He termed the system “unscientific” and unfair to growers and demanded its immediate revision.
The association also sought relaxation of restrictions on the direct production of ethanol from sugarcane juice and syrup. Shanthakumar said farmers should be allowed to produce ethanol through small-scale units, subject to regulatory requirements. Greater opportunities for ethanol production, he said, could provide an additional income stream for farmers while supporting the use of alternative fuels.
According to the association, drought and inadequate rainfall have reduced sugarcane production and yields in several parts of Karnataka even as sugar prices have increased amid higher demand. Shanthakumar said the problems faced by growers remained unresolved despite the government directing sugar mills to begin crushing operations early.
The association also urged the Karnataka government to introduce stringent legal provisions against sugar mills that allegedly violate government orders and repeatedly approach courts to obtain stays.
It sought immediate implementation of the Kali river linking project to benefit farmers in the Dharwad and Haliyal regions.
Seeking relief for drought-affected growers, Shanthakumar demanded a waiver of crop loans in Karnataka. He also called for adequate and uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pumpsets, alleging that insufficient electricity was causing crops to dry up.
Commenting on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s recent visit to an APMC yard, Shanthakumar said the government should instead focus on addressing the alleged practice of charging farmers a 10% commission in APMCs across the State.
Association State general secretary Mahesh Belagaunkar, vice-president Suresh M. Patil and other office-bearers were present.
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Source : ChiniMandi
