Sugar Minister Shankar Patil Munenkoppa on Monday described the government’s decision to make sugar factory owners share a percentage of their profit from byproducts, like ethanol, with sugarcane farmers as a ‘historic moment for farmers’.
He said this even as the farmers’ protest entered the 21st day spearheaded by the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association at the Freedom Park here demanding a hike of Rs 150 per ton of sugarcane.
The farmers have refused to accept the government’s offer and protested by burning the government order directing the sugar mill owners to pay them Rs 50 per tonne from their profit.
Munenkoppa said that the sugar factories would be sharing Rs 204.47 crore with farmers, which works out to Rs 50 per tonne to farmers in the state.
He added that the government has also ensured that payment as per the FRP of sugarcane to farmers is not pending by any sugar factory in the last two years. “Sugar factories already cleared Rs 19,922.39 crore for the 2021-22 season,” he said.
BJP Raitha Morcha in charge N Ravi Kumar welcomed the government’s decision to direct the sugar factories to share some per cent of their profit with the farmers.
“With factories accepting the government’s directives, the farmers have to welcome this decision,” he said.
Published 12 December 2022, 16:59 IST