Farmers in Belagavi district have issued an ultimatum to the state and Union governments, demanding a response by 3 pm on Thursday regarding higher sugarcane prices and a revised Minimum Selling Price (MSP) for sugar. Chunappa Pujeri, state president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, stated that growers are seeking a cane price of Rs 5,500 per tonne and an increase in the sugar MSP to Rs 50 per kg. Speaking to reporters at Gurlapur in Mudalagi taluk, Pujeri warned that the agitation could intensify if the governments fail to act within the stipulated deadline, noting that growers are under considerable financial stress.
The protesters noted that their demands were previously conveyed to Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who indicated that sugar prices were unlikely to fall below Rs 50 per kg this year due to a global supply shortage. Citing this, the farmers argued that the Centre should formally revise the sugar MSP to Rs 50 per kg to enable mills to offer better payments to growers. They pointed out that retail sugar is currently selling at around Rs 60 per kg and maintained that commercial sugar prices should also be raised to improve the industry’s ability to pay farmers. The protesters emphasized that the Centre could address this demand by issuing a notification revising the MSP without imposing any additional financial burden on the government.
Additionally, the farmers called on the Karnataka government to announce a support price of Rs 1,000 per tonne for sugarcane growers, funded through tax revenues generated from sugar and its by-products. The protesters stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have been apprised of their concerns and are aware of the demands. The protest at Gurlapur comes amid growing discontent among sugarcane growers in Belagavi over cane prices and the Centre’s unchanged sugar MSP.
