Karnataka sugarcane farmers threaten statewide lock-up of sugar mill godowns

Belagavi, Oct 28 : Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka have threatened to lock up sugar mill godowns across the state as part of an intensified agitation demanding a remunerative price of Rs 5,500 per tonne of sugarcane and an increase in the Centre-fixed minimum selling price of sugar.

The warning comes as the farmers' protest at Gurlapur in Mudalgi taluk of Belagavi district entered its fourth consecutive day on Wednesday. Farmers are scheduled to hold a meeting in the evening to decide the next course of action.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene state president Chunappa Pujeri has appealed to farmers across the state to join the proposed agitation and intensify pressure on the Centre and sugar factories to resolve the cane pricing dispute.

Pujeri also urged a central committee scheduled to visit Karnataka from October 29 to include Belagavi district in its itinerary to assess the situation and hear the grievances of sugarcane growers.

The key demand of the farmers is an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar, which they believe would improve the financial position of sugar mills and enable them to pay Rs 5,500 per tonne for sugarcane.

Pujeri urged Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to convene a meeting with sugar factory managements and assure farmers that sugar prices would not fall below Rs 5,000 per quintal.

He argued that global sugar shortages should support domestic prices and said better returns for sugar mills were essential to ensure fair prices for sugarcane growers.

Warning of further escalation, Pujeri said sugar factories would be held responsible for any untoward incidents if they attempted to move sugar stocks out of their godowns at night after the proposed lock-up campaign.

The farmers' association is scheduled to meet at Gurlapur on Wednesday evening to finalise its next course of action.

The proposed agitation could extend the ongoing confrontation beyond Gurlapur, putting renewed pressure on both the state and Central governments to broker a settlement between sugarcane growers and sugar mill managements. However, the timing and statewide implementation of the proposed godown-locking campaign are yet to be formally announced.