Farmers agree to allow sugarcane crushing in mills starting today
‘We are hopeful of getting at least ₹5,000 per tonne with the factories paying ₹4,000 and the State government giving an incentive of ₹1,000’
Sugarcane farmers have agreed to permit crushing operations in sugar factories starting Friday, after a week-long protest for revised sugar and sugarcane prices. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene leader Chunappa Pujeri stated that the farmers anticipate receiving a minimum of ₹5,000 per tonne, with factories paying ₹4,000 and the State government contributing ₹1,000 as an incentive.
Additionally, the protestors demand that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announce a ₹1,000 per tonne incentive. The farmers' decision to allow crushing operations was influenced by a visit from Hukkeri Math seer Sri Chandrashekar Shivacharya, who urged the factories to commence sugarcane harvesting before it dried in the fields. Pujeri acknowledged the seer's intervention to resolve the conflict between farmers and sugar factories, emphasizing that the factories must pay ₹3,600 per tonne upfront to the farmers.
Chunki Nanjundaswami, another farmer leader, emphasized that the protest is not limited to Belagavi or Karnataka, but rather relevant to the entire country. She recommended following the C. Rangarajan committee recommendations, which suggested that farmers should receive 75% of the profits while factories obtain the remaining 25%.
Nanjundaswami also mentioned that government officers should consult both farmers and factories before determining the final procurement price for sugarcane in each district.
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