Sugar factories in Belagavi district are preparing to begin the 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season, a start delayed by more than a month due to farmer protests. The district has 29 operational sugar mills, comprising 12 private and 17 cooperative units, which utilize mechanized harvesting alongside labor gangs brought in from Maharashtra. Although several factories symbolically lit their furnaces last week to mark the season’s start, actual crushing and harvesting remained halted as farmers demanded higher prices.
The standoff, led by the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene, lasted over a month with farmers seeking prices that cover cultivation costs and provide profit, along with a share in earnings from sugar and by-product sales. The deadlock ended after factories agreed to pay Rs 3,600 per tonne and share profits based on rising sugar prices, prompting the withdrawal of the agitation. This follows a similar successful protest at Gurlapur in Mudalgi during the previous season.
This year, farmers initially demanded Rs 5,500 per tonne, split between Rs 4,500 from factories and a Rs 1,000 government support price funded by taxes on sugar sales. They also called for the central government to raise the minimum sugar selling price from Rs 31 to Rs 60 per kg. In response, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi formed a committee to review demands, including the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane.
Protests included blocking traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway at toll plazas in Kognoli (Nippani taluk), Hattargi (Hukkeri taluk), and Hirebagewadi (Belagavi taluk), as well as a planned march to Joshi’s residence in Hubballi, which was canceled after he assured consideration of their demands by November 26. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar met farmers at Channamma Kittur and held talks at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha and the Belagavi Circuit House, but these efforts failed to resolve the issue. On November 2, farmers launched a jail-bharo agitation, offering to court arrest.
A breakthrough occurred after District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi met with farmer and factory representatives on November 3 and 4. Following these discussions, factories agreed to the Rs 3,600 per tonne price and a profit-sharing formula linked to sugar price increases. Chunappa Pujeri, state president of the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene, confirmed the withdrawal of the agitation. He stated that farmers could receive up to Rs 4,350 per tonne this season, aided by a global sugarcane shortage, and that crushing and harvesting operations would now commence.
