<p>Belagavi: Farmers from Belagavi, Vijayapura, and Bagalkot districts staged a massive protest at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk on Thursday, demanding that sugar factories in Karnataka pay Rs 3,500 per tonne sugarcane as the first installment of the current crushing season. The farmers pointed out that sugar factories in Maharashtra are already paying Rs 3,600 per tonne.</p><p>Draped in green towels, the protesting farmers raised slogans against the government and sugar factories. They also criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil, and Public Works Department and District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi for ignoring their demands.</p><p>Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha & Hasiru Sene President Shashikant Guroji, State President Choonappa Pujaro, and other leaders, including Irappa Hanchnal, Baburao Patil, Dhareppa Mangalore, Muktum Nadaf, and Mallappa Angadi, warned that the protests would continue until the sugarcane price was officially announced. They urged District In-charge Minister Jarkiholi and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan to visit the protest site to declare the price.</p><p>The farmers alleged that the government is acting as a ‘slave of sugar factories’, highlighting that several elected representatives own sugar factories themselves and remain indifferent to the farmers’ plight. They noted that while sugar factories generate significant revenue for the government, farmers are not receiving a fair price for their produce.</p><p>“Farmers constitute 75% of the country’s population. Governments are formed on the basis of farmers’ votes, yet there is little concern for our issues. Political parties’ election manifestos promise much for farmers, but these assurances are forgotten once they come to power,” they added.</p><p>Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi, Janata Dal (Secular) Vice-President Prataprao Patil, and former minister Shashikant Nayak extended their support to the farmers’ demands.</p>
<p>Belagavi: Farmers from Belagavi, Vijayapura, and Bagalkot districts staged a massive protest at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk on Thursday, demanding that sugar factories in Karnataka pay Rs 3,500 per tonne sugarcane as the first installment of the current crushing season. The farmers pointed out that sugar factories in Maharashtra are already paying Rs 3,600 per tonne.</p><p>Draped in green towels, the protesting farmers raised slogans against the government and sugar factories. They also criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil, and Public Works Department and District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi for ignoring their demands.</p><p>Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha & Hasiru Sene President Shashikant Guroji, State President Choonappa Pujaro, and other leaders, including Irappa Hanchnal, Baburao Patil, Dhareppa Mangalore, Muktum Nadaf, and Mallappa Angadi, warned that the protests would continue until the sugarcane price was officially announced. They urged District In-charge Minister Jarkiholi and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan to visit the protest site to declare the price.</p><p>The farmers alleged that the government is acting as a ‘slave of sugar factories’, highlighting that several elected representatives own sugar factories themselves and remain indifferent to the farmers’ plight. They noted that while sugar factories generate significant revenue for the government, farmers are not receiving a fair price for their produce.</p><p>“Farmers constitute 75% of the country’s population. Governments are formed on the basis of farmers’ votes, yet there is little concern for our issues. Political parties’ election manifestos promise much for farmers, but these assurances are forgotten once they come to power,” they added.</p><p>Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi, Janata Dal (Secular) Vice-President Prataprao Patil, and former minister Shashikant Nayak extended their support to the farmers’ demands.</p>
