Karnataka farmers block roads demanding hike in sugarcane price

“The state government is meting out a step-motherly treatment. It is least concerned about the farmers’ issues. We have demanded the government to fix the price at ₹4,500 per tonne”, Sidagouda Modagi, the state president of Bharatiya Krishik Samaj, said.

“The farmers are asking the government to announce at least ₹3,500 a tonne. If the decision is against the farmers, the government will have to face the consequences,” he warned.

Sugar mill owners, meanwhile, said that they will suffer heavy losses if the price is hiked.

Minister seeks time

The government had facilitated two meetings between the farmers and mill owners in as many weeks to sort out the issue. Both meetings failed.

After the second meeting, the minister in charge of Bagalkot district, C C Patil, sought time to iron out the differences. “The mill owners are not agreeing to increase the price”, the minister who holds the public works portfolio in the Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet, said.

“I appeal to farmers to maintain peace. I will discuss with the chief minister and take a decision with farmers’ welfare in mind”, Patil assured.

Minister for Textiles and Sugarcane Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, meanwhile, requested the farmers to give him 10 days to find a solution.

Following the mill owners’ refusal to increase the price of sugarcane, farmers in Mudhol and parts of Belagavi have stopped supplying cane to the factories.

“We are asking the government and factories to provide us with fair price. We have been supplying sugarcane at the same rate for the past few years. There is no question of withdrawing the protest,” Ramappa Nayak, a cane grower from Mudhol, told South First.

The Union Government announced the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the 2022-’23 season in August. The FRP has been fixed at Rs 305 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10.25 percent. The government has increased the FRP by ₹15 over the previous year’s (2021-22) FRP.

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Higher production cost

The sugarcane growers also pointed out the increase in production cost. “The input costs, including fertiliser, labour, harvest and transportation charges have doubled. This, in turn, hiked the production cost. If the cane is supplied at the same price, we will suffer heavy loss. How will we run our family”, Madhu Chandan, a farmer leader from Mandya, asked.

The sugarcane growers have blocked the highway on the outskirts of Mudhol town. (Pic: Supplied)

“The government has to intervene and announce a fair price for the crop. We have been on the streets for the past 10 days. The protest will be withdrawn only after farmers get a good price,” Madhu told South First.

“Sugar factories in Gujarat have announced ₹4,400 per tonne for the cane. The factories in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra are paying ₹3,500 per tonne, ₹3,800 per tonne and ₹3,600 per tonne, respectively. Why is the same price not fixed in Karnataka”, Kurubur Shantkumar, president of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association, asked.

“The government has been seeking time for the past 10 days. We have set a 21 November deadline. As of now, we are not thinking about a Karnataka bandh. We will protest peacefully across the state. If the government fails to meet our demand, they will have to face the consequences,” Shantkumar told South First.

Of the 79 sugar mills in Karnataka, 72 are operational. The remaining seven have been closed due to various reasons.

“Every season over 6.5 crore tonnes of sugarcane will be crushed at the mills. Karnataka is one of the leading producers of sugarcane. In recent years, sugar factories are making huge incomes from the by-products. But the farmers are being denied a fair price for their crop”, Modagi told South First.

He pointed out that the government, too, has been earning huge revenue. “Besides the revenue from the sugar produced, the government is also gaining from by-products such as ethanol and molasses. According to norms, the sugar factories should share a fixed percentage of the profit from the by-products with the farmers”, he said.

“However, none of the rules are being followed because most factories are being run either directly or indirectly by the elected representatives,” Modagi, who has been fighting for the rights of sugarcane growers for the past two decades, alleged.

Also read: State-owned Mysugar factory awaits restart

No support price

The protests by sugarcane growers across the state have now become a headache for the government. It held several meetings with sugar mill owners, but the latter refused to relent.

“The state government has no authority to increase the FRP, which is fixed by a prime minister-headed committee. The Union government, after considering the economic and scientific factors, will fix the FRP. We are making efforts to convince the mill owners to increase the price of cane”, Minister for Textiles and Sugarcane Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, told South First.

When asked if the government has plans to announce a support price for cane, the minister said: “There is no question of announcing a support price for sugarcane. We have addressed the grievances of sugarcane growers in Karwar, Mysuru and Mandya”.

“I have constituted a special committee to provide a report on sugar factories that are making profits from the by-products. Once the report is submitted, I will present it to the chief minister. A high-level meeting will also be held in the presence of Chief Minister Bommai and a final call on the price hike of cane will be taken,”  the minister said.

Karnataka ranks third in both sugarcane and sugar production in the country.