Several meetings fail to break deadlock over sugarcane prices
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Some sugarcane farmers staging a protest at Channamma Circle in Belagavi demanding that all of their factions be invited to a meeting between factory owners and themselves in Belagavi on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER
A series of meetings between farmers leaders and sugar factories failed to break the deadlock over the price of sugarcane in Belagavi on Tuesday.
The meeting called in the Deputy Commissioner’s office was delayed due to differences between factions of farmers about who should attend the meeting.
Later, district in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi held a meeting with factory officers and farmers in another place.
Sources said that the Minister, who also owns a few sugar factories, told the protestors that the factories are willing to pay them the Fair and Remunerative Price and start crushing operations.
The factories are also willing to give them written assurances that they will pay additional amounts if the Union government were to revise the Minimum Selling Price of sugar, he said.
However, the farmers did not agree to this and no consensus was reached.
Later, in-charge Deputy Commissioner Rahul Shindhe convened another meeting in the zilla panchayat hall where a large number of farmers attended. The meeting went on till the late hours of the night.
Meanwhile, members of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan began a protest in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.
They began a rasta roko at the Kini Toll Naka on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway on Tuesday.
The police have diverted vehicles on alternative routes near Kagal on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border.
The former MP and founder of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan Raju Shetti said that the road block will be continued indefinitely.
He told reporters that they are demanding ₹5,500 per tonne for sugarcane to be shared between the factories and the State government.
“Factories are offering prices from ₹3,250 to ₹3,700 per tonne in various districts, based on recovery rates,” he added.
“Factories in Maharashtra began crushing operations by the last week of October but, they are not offering same prices. Our demand is that prices should be the same across Maharashtra. I want to give a call to all farmers to unite. If factory owners belonging to various parties - in the ruling alliance and the Opposition - can unite to deny fair prices to farmers, why cannot farmers unite to seek higher prices?” he asked.
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