Karnataka sugarcane growers to protest at district commissioner offices today
Farmer organisations are demanding a state-announced price and a higher central price for sugarcane due to rising production costs.
Sugarcane growers in Karnataka plan to lay siege to the offices of all district commissioners on Tuesday, according to The New Indian Express.
The Sugarcane Growers’ Coordination Committee, which represents various farmer organisations, also announced a large sit-in at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Friday.
Kurubur Shantakumar, state president of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association, said the decision was reached through a consensus among all farmer groups.
The farmers are seeking a State Advised Price (SAP) for cane. They noted that Punjab has set a price of Rs 4,480 per tonne, while Uttar Pradesh has fixed Rs 4,200 and Tamil Nadu has set Rs 4,000.
The group is also asking the Centre for a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of at least Rs 4,500 per tonne at a 10.25 per cent sugar recovery rate. They cited higher production costs as the reason for this demand.
Other demands include a full farm loan waiver due to state drought, the withdrawal of police cases from previous agitations, and transparent action against cheating in sugar recovery and weighment figures.