Ashoka urges Karnataka govt to resolve sugarcane farmers’ crisis

Bengaluru, Oct 23 : Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka has urged the state government to take immediate steps to address the problems faced by sugarcane farmers, who are demanding higher cane prices, timely payments and greater transparency in sugar mills.

The appeal comes ahead of a proposed October 26 meeting in Belagavi between Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, sugarcane farmers and representatives of sugar factories to discuss the growers’ demands.

The farmers are seeking a price of Rs 5,500 per tonne of sugarcane, against the Centre’s fair and remunerative price (FRP) of Rs 3,650 per tonne for the 2026-27 sugar season. They have also demanded an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar from Rs 31 to Rs 60 per kg.

The agitation, which spread across parts of north Karnataka and disrupted traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, was temporarily suspended on October 19 following discussions between farmer leaders and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in Hubballi.

The farmers have given the Centre until November 26 to respond to their demands, warning that protests would resume if a solution is not reached.

Apart from higher cane prices, the growers have sought transparency in sugar recovery calculations and cane weighment, an end to deductions from their payments and the settlement of pending dues by sugar factories. They maintain that rising cultivation costs have made the existing cane price inadequate to sustain their livelihoods.

The dispute also centres on the financial viability of sugar production. Chief Minister Shivakumar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revise the minimum selling price of sugar, introduce separate pricing for domestic and commercial consumption, review ethanol procurement rules and revise prices for sugarcane-based ethanol.

He has argued that stagnant sugar prices and restrictions on ethanol procurement are affecting sugar mills’ ability to make remunerative and timely payments to farmers.

Meanwhile, the state government has initiated measures to improve transparency in sugar mills, including installing digital load cells at all 81 operational mills and conducting inspections to verify cane weight and sugar recovery.

Shivakumar has also pointed to an improvement in average sugar recovery, which increased from 9.91 per cent in 2022-23 to 11.09 per cent in 2025-26.

With the sugarcane crushing season approaching, the proposed October 26 meeting is expected to be crucial in determining the state government’s response to the farmers’ demands.

A lasting resolution, however, is also likely to depend on the Centre’s response to the pricing and ethanol policy changes sought by the growers and the state government.