MYSURU/DHARWAD/BELAGAVI: Sugarcane farmers brought parts of Karnataka to a halt on Saturday, blocking roads in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Koppal, Dharwad and Hubballi during a statewide bandh. They demanded a higher price for their cane and action from both the Union and state governments.
In Mysuru, hundreds of members of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association blocked the Mysuru-Ooty National Highway near Kuvempu Park for some time, raising slogans against both governments.
Association president Halli Kerehundi Bhagyaraj said over six crore sugarcane farmers across the country were vital to the national economy. He said the sector generated more than Rs 50,000 crore in revenue for Karnataka, yet growers were not getting adequate returns. Bhagyaraj noted that Tamil Nadu pays an additional Rs 700 per tonne, Gujarat Rs 800 and Uttar Pradesh Rs 650, and demanded that Karnataka announce an extra Rs 1,000 per tonne over the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) this season.
He criticised Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for not announcing the State Advised Price (SAP) after a meeting with growers in Belagavi, and alleged that the chief minister and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi were “merely exchanging correspondence.”
His other demands included a Minimum Selling Price of Rs 6,000 for sugar, FRP calculated on a 9.25 per cent recovery rate, full government procurement of ethanol, payment within 14 days, criminal cases against factories with pending dues, government-monitored weighing scales and crop insurance for cane.
In Dharwad, farmers blocked the road from 8.30 am until noon before marching to the deputy commissioner’s office to submit a memorandum. Traffic was diverted, though commuters waiting for buses at Jubilee Circle were inconvenienced.
In Hubballi, protesters blocked the road near Indi Pump until afternoon and urged shopkeepers to close. Police intervention prevented untoward incidents.
Farmer leader Subash Madanvar accused the state of pointing at the Centre and the Centre of stalling by forming committees. “We farmers are innocents but not fools,” he said.
At Kulagod in Mudalagi taluk, shops closed and the weekly market was suspended in support. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene state president Chunappa Pujeri announced a jail bharo agitation at Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi on November 2, with farmers to gather at Gurlapur Cross at 11 am. He called it the final phase of a month-long protest and demanded Rs 4,500 per tonne from factories once the sugar price is announced.
Farmers Association leader Kurubur Shantakumar told TNIE that farmers in Punjab get Rs 4,200 and in Tamil Nadu about Rs 4,000, and said an important meeting of sugarcane farmers has been scheduled for 7.30 pm.