Belagavi: No breakthrough in sugarcane price talks with farmers
Farmers demand a total price of Rs 5,500 per tonne as they prepare for a jail bharo agitation.
A meeting convened by the Belagavi district administration on Tuesday evening failed to reach a decision regarding farmers' demand for a sugarcane price of Rs 5,500 per tonne, according to the Deccan Herald.
Farmers requested a total price consisting of Rs 4,500 from sugar factories and a Rs 1,000 support price from the state government. They noted that nearly 25 per cent of standing sugarcane has dried up and cited losses from drought and electrical accidents.
The farmers expressed displeasure that sugar factory owners and the Sugar Commissioner were absent from the meeting. They also raised concerns regarding alleged malpractices in weighing and recovery assessments by sugar factories.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene state president Chunnappa Pujeri said increasing the minimum selling price of sugar and resuming the Centre's procurement of ethanol are essential to enable factories to pay farmers up to Rs 6,000 per tonne.
Honorary president Shashikant Guruji stated that farmers would continue their agitation until their demands are met and announced they would proceed to Belagavi to court arrest as part of a jail bharo agitation.
Public Works Department and District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi said he could not take a decision single-handedly. Another round of discussions with representatives of farmers' organisations and sugar factories was scheduled for later that night to attempt to reach a consensus.