Karnataka sugarcane farmers are demanding a payment of Rs 4,500 per tonne from sugar mills and a state support price of Rs 1,000 per tonne, with a critical gathering scheduled in Mudalgi to determine the next phase of their agitation after discussions with the Deputy Chief Minister failed to resolve pricing disputes.
Chunappa Pujari, the state president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, affirmed the farmers’ resolve to secure the Rs 4,500 per tonne rate and the Rs 1,000 state subsidy funded by government revenue. He announced that the subsequent course of action would be decided at a meeting held at the protest site in Gurlapur, Mudalgi taluk, later in the day.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Pujari noted that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar engaged with farmer representatives and sugar factory owners until late Monday night. He highlighted that while factories offered Rs 3,500 per tonne, the farmers insist on Rs 4,500 due to rising cultivation costs and the current market sale of sugar at Rs 5,000 per quintal. Pujari urged the central government to ensure the minimum selling price of sugar does not fall below Rs 5,000 per quintal to meet these demands. He added that the Chief Minister requested two days to consider the Rs 1,000 support price demand, citing the need for consultations with Finance Department officials. Pujari further called on Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pralhad Joshi to convene a meeting with factory management to announce sugar prices, vowing to continue the movement until all demands are satisfied.
Farmers have gathered in large numbers at Gurlapur under the leadership of Shashikant Guruji, the honorary president of the sangha. The assembly will feature addresses by Kurubur Shanthakumar, president of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association; Chukki Nanjundaswamy, a leader of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene; and MLA Darshan Puttannaiah.
