Attention in Belagavi is focused on the outcome of a meeting scheduled for October 26 at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, where Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will engage with farmers’ representatives and sugar factory managements. The discussions come as growers press for a sugarcane price of Rs 5,500 per tonne ahead of the upcoming crushing season, amid concerns that drought conditions are threatening standing crops and causing distress among cultivators.
Farmers have articulated a broader set of demands, including a price range of Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,000 per tonne for sugarcane and an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar from Rs 31 to Rs 60 per kilogram. They are also calling for the Centre to raise the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane, ensure the purchase of all ethanol production by sugar factories without discrimination, and implement the recommendations of the M S Swaminathan Commission. Former Minister Murugesh Nirani has described these demands as genuine.
Protests escalated in late October, with farmers blocking traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway for over 30 hours starting October 19. These blockades occurred at the Kognoli checkpost in Nippani taluk, the Hattargi toll plaza in Hukkeri taluk, and the Hirebagewadi toll plaza in Belagavi taluk, halting traffic through the district. Following a lack of response from the Centre, a padayatra was launched from the Hattargi toll plaza on the evening of October 20, aiming to besiege the residence of Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Pralhad Joshi. Although Chief Minister Shivakumar addressed the farmers’ concerns at Channammana Kittur on Saturday, the march continued until it was suspended for a month in Dharwad on Monday, after protesters gave the Centre a one-month deadline to meet their demands.
Chunappa Pujeri, state president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, reiterated the farmers’ demands in a video message, urging Chief Minister Shivakumar to provide a clear response regarding a state government support price of Rs 1,000 per tonne of sugarcane. Pujeri noted that the state government collects approximately Rs 5,000 in taxes for every tonne of sugarcane processed and highlighted that Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu offer additional support to growers. He demanded that the Chief Minister announce a price of Rs 5,500 per tonne and address other pending issues. Pujeri informed farmers that the Chief Minister would meet their representatives and mill owners on Monday, advising them not to panic as the start of the crushing season would depend on the outcome of these talks.
