Sporadic violence as farmers stop transportation of cane
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from the sugar bowl districts of Sangli and Kolhapur as members of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana stopped the transportation of cane to mills. Former MP and Sanghtana founder Raju Shetti, who is on a sit-in at Jaisinghpur, has said mils would not be allowed to start operations till the demand of an additional payment of Rs 400 per tonne for sugarcane sold last season is met.
Members of the organisation stopped transportation of harvested cane to the Jawahar Shetkari Cooperative Sugar mill as well as the Hutatma Kisan Ahir Cooperative mill in Kolhapur and Sangli, respectively. Farmers also stopped the transportation of cane to the Rajarambapu Patil Cooperative Sugar mill in Sangli. Police and members of the farm union had heated exchanges when the later stopped cane transportation to the Jawahar Shetkari Cooperative Sugar mill. Reports of arson also came in from the border areas where tractors transporting cane were put on fire by protesters.
Shetti, during the Oosh Parishad (cane conclave) on November 7, declared the crushing season won’t start till mills pay farmers Rs 400 per tonne over the government declared Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for cane purchased in the 2022-23 season. For the current season, the organisation has demanded FRP as the first installment payment. Members of the organisation have decided to send parcels of bhakri (flat bread made of millet flour) and kharda (spicy chutney) to the homes of chairmen of sugar mills on Diwali instead of sweets. “This is to show them that our Diwali is not sweet so instead of sweets we would share our bitterness during the festive season,” Shetti said.
Most mills in the Kolhapur and Sangli region had not started their operations till the Oosh Parishad. However, as the deadlock shows no signs of an early resolution, they have decided to start crushing given the short supply of cane this season. With Sanghtana members bent on disrupting supplies, the festive season can see more than fireworks for the next few days.
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