Talks between farmers and the State Government over fixing minimum support price (MSP) for sugarcane remained inconclusive on Monday.

The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has now served the government an ultimatum of one week to meet its demand of fixing Rs 1,200 a tonne of sugarcane against the present Rs 811,  failing which it would launch a state-wide “jail bharo” programme.

MSP sought

After a three-hour long meeting with Governor Rameshwar Thakur and his advisors, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha President K S Puttannaiah said the farmers’ representatives urged the Governor to announce the MSP for sugarcane after taking the cost of cultivation into consideration.

He said the KRRS has been demanding a statutory minimum price for sugarcane on the lines of the announcement made by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh at around Rs 1,200 per tonne, and a compensation of Rs 25,000 a hectare for sugarcane growers, following the delay in crushing of sugarcane.

However, the government had offered a purchase tax exemption of Rs 65 per tonne, which the farmers’ organisations refused to accept. KRRS member Shanthkumar said that while the annual yield of sugarcane in the State stood at 378 lakh tonnes, the State had a crushing capacity of only 253 lakh tonnes. It was the responsibility of the government to purchase the rest of the sugarcane, he urged.
Mr Puttanaiah said that the farmers’ representatives would hold a meeting on Friday, and serve an ultimatum of February 18 for their demands to be met.