BELAGAVI: Talks between Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and sugarcane farmers’ leaders ended without a decision on Monday, leaving demands for higher sugarcane prices unresolved.
With farmers insisting on a State Advised Price (SAP) of Rs 1,000 per tonne over and above the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), Shivakumar said the government would hold another round of discussions with selected farmers’ representatives to work towards a solution.
Shivakumar cited the severe drought, mounting electricity subsidy expenditure and the state’s financial constraints, saying a lasting solution would require coordination with the Union government, sugar factory owners and other stakeholders. He urged farmers to remain patient and assured them that the government stood with them in their struggle.
The chief minister said Karnataka was facing one of its worst droughts in five decades, with inadequate rainfall affecting major river basins, including the Tungabhadra and Cauvery.
Groundwater levels had declined by around 38%, while the government was also grappling with drinking water shortages.
HESCOM had sought an additional Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore towards electricity bills for agricultural pump sets, he said. The government was spending around Rs 22,000 crore on electricity subsidies and power requirements for irrigation and lake-filling projects, he added.
Referring to last year’s additional payment of Rs 250 per tonne, Shivakumar said the government had paid its share of Rs 50 per tonne, accounting for 80% of its committed contribution, while sugar factories had failed to pay their share.
He said representatives of 81 sugar factories had participated in consultations and offered suggestions. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, whom he had invited to the meeting, could not attend because of another engagement. A Union government committee is scheduled to visit Karnataka on October 29, he added.
Shivakumar said he had spoken to the chief ministers of Maharashtra and other sugarcane-producing states to build pressure on the Centre to revise the FRP. However, he said providing an additional Rs 1,000 per tonne, as demanded by farmers, would be difficult under the present circumstances.
Reduced sugarcane cultivation, lower sugar production and restrictions on ethanol production had further complicated the situation, he said.
Former sugar minister Shivanand Patil also sought time to hold discussions with factory owners and the chief ministers of other states, pointing to declining groundwater levels and the need to protect standing sugarcane crops.
Farmers reiterate demands
Farmer leaders maintained that the government must announce a concrete package instead of offering further assurances. They demanded an additional Rs 1,000 per tonne as SAP and a purchase price of Rs 4,500 per tonne, along with pressure on the Centre to raise the FRP to Rs 4,450 per tonne.
Sunanda, a farmers’ representative, said the existing parameters used to calculate the FRP were unscientific. She sought implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, an allocation of Rs 500 crore to purchase land for government weighbridges, payment of sugarcane bills within 15 days with interest for delays, crop loan waivers and the inclusion of sugarcane under crop insurance.
She also called for support for small-scale jaggery production units and directions to deputy commissioners to facilitate agreements between farmers and sugar factories.
Chunnappa Pujari said revising the Centre’s FRP was essential to resolving the sugarcane pricing dispute. Alleging irregularities in the calculation of sugar recovery, he demanded that the Sugar Commissionerate be strengthened to independently verify recovery rates. He reiterated the demand for an SAP of Rs 1,000 per tonne and a price of Rs 4,500 per tonne from factories.
Farmer leader and MLA Darshan Puttannaya said cultivators bore the entire risk of growing sugarcane but had little say in fixing its price. He called for the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during protests, the revival of cooperative sugar factories and the implementation of recommendations made by various committees, including the Swaminathan Commission.
He also urged the government to plan water and crop management measures in anticipation of lower rainfall next year and take action against microfinance harassment.
Kurbur Shantakumar demanded a permanent solution to the pricing dispute, saying earlier government measures had been challenged in court by sugar factories. He also sought a farm loan waiver, citing similar measures in neighbouring states.
Subhash Sarbur demanded an end to deductions of 8% to 10% for machine harvesting and 25% for burnt sugarcane. Kamble alleged that provisions of the SAP Act intended to protect farmers were not being implemented.
Raghavendra Naik urged the state government to announce an SAP instead of shifting responsibility to the Centre and to curb alleged manipulation of weighment at factories.
Heated exchanges delay meeting
The meeting witnessed repeated interruptions by agitated farmers’ leaders, who expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s responses. The exchanges prolonged discussions, with the leaders insisting on concrete decisions rather than further assurances.
BJP MLAs Aravind Bellad, Mahesh Tenginkayi and other party leaders reportedly left the meeting after farmers questioned them over promises made during an earlier protest outside the residence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.
Ministers Rudrappa Lamani, MB Patil, N Chaluvarayaswamy, Satish Jarkiholi, SS Mallikarjun, Laxman Savadi and Santosh Lad attended the meeting, along with MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, HK Patil and other leaders.
