Support price for sugarcane

The State government on Monday fixed  a minimum support price for sugarcane at Rs 2,400 a tonne.

The new procurement price applies to eight sugarcane growing districts of the old Mysore region. The decision was taken at a meeting with the top officials at Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar’s home office.

Earlier in the day, Forest Minister C P Yogeeshwara, who is also in-charge minister for Mandya district, threatened to resign as Mandya district in-charge minister if the support price of Rs 2,400 a tonne was not fixed by the government.

Though a high-level committee headed by Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti held its meeting twice, it was not able to fix the support price, as demanded by the farmers.

The sugarcane farmers in the old Mysore region recently threatened to disrupt Mysore Dasara festivities, if their demand was not fulfilled.