Sugarcane growers harvest sugarcane at Chikkodi in Belagavi district.
Credit: DH photo by Nitin Golap
Belagavi: Sugarcane growers from Belagavi, Vijayapur, and Bagalkot districts have decided to stage a protest at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk on October 30 (Thursday), urging the State government to announce a sugarcane price of Rs 3,500 per tonne, excluding harvesting and transport costs, on par with rates offered in Maharashtra.
They are urging the State to declare a State Advisory Price (SAP) of Rs 3,500 per tonne and direct sugar factories to bear harvesting and transportation costs.
Belagavi district, home to 28 sugar factories, is preparing for the new crushing season beginning in November. However, the farmers have urged that factories announce prices similar to those in Maharashtra, where mills cover harvest and transport costs, sometimes up to 100 km. “If factories in Maharashtra can bear these expenses, why can’t those in Karnataka?” questioned several farmer leaders.
A recent meeting convened by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan at the S Nijalingappa Sugar Institute aimed to build consensus between factory representatives and farmer leaders. While factories proposed Rs 3,050 per tonne, farmers outrightly rejected the offer, sticking firmly to their Rs 3,500 demand.
Transport cost
Rashtriya Raitha Sangha leader Prakash Nayak alleged that the ‘sugar factory lobby’ was influencing the government, delaying the announcement of fair price. He reiterated that harvest and transport cost must be borne by factories. He also urged the government to ensure fair weighing practices to prevent losses to growers.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha & Hasiru Sene president Chonappa Pujari said that during a recent meeting with the Sugar Commissioner in Bengaluru, farmer groups succeeded in securing an order preventing factories from starting crushing before November 20.
“The government earns huge revenue through taxes on sugar and its by-products such as spirit,” Pujari said. “Each tonne of sugarcane generates nearly Rs 5,000 in taxes. Hence, the excuse of providing free power to farmers cannot justify lower cane prices. Sugar factories in the district alone crush about 1.50 crore tonne sugarcane every season.”
Pujari confirmed that thousands of growers from the three districts will participate in Thursday’s protest. “We will demand that the minister visit the protest site and commit to our price demand. The interests of sugarcane growers must be protected,” he added.