Karnataka sugarcane farmers have given the state government and sugar factories another 24 hours to resolve a price dispute, warning that they will resume blocking the Pune-Bengaluru national highway, or NH-48, from Saturday if their demands are not met.
The ultimatum was issued on Thursday after a two-day deadline sought by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar expired without a settlement. Farmers have also threatened to intensify their agitation and call for a Karnataka bandh if the deadlock continues.
Thousands of growers have been holding day-and-night protests for more than a week at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk, Belagavi district, under the banner of the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene. The groups are demanding that sugar factories pay Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane, along with an additional state support price of Rs 1,000 per tonne.
A meeting involving Shivakumar, farmer representatives and sugar factory owners was held in Belagavi on Monday, but it failed to produce an agreement. No decision had been announced by Thursday evening. Farmer leaders Chunappa Pujeri and Shashikant Padasalagi said the protests would be withdrawn if both the factory payment and the state support demand were accepted.
The dispute is also affecting the start of the sugarcane crushing season, according to the farmer groups. Pujeri said the delayed commencement was causing losses to growers and urged Shivakumar and Union minister Pralhad Joshi to take responsibility for resolving the issue.
Pujeri also called on the Centre to fix a minimum support price of Rs 60 per kg for sugar, create a separate pricing mechanism for commercially sold sugar and ensure procurement of the entire ethanol output from sugar factories. He criticised a committee formed to study sugar MSP, alleging that it had not visited Belagavi despite an assurance that it would meet growers from North Karnataka.
Padasalagi questioned the difference between cane prices and sugar realisations. He said factories had paid farmers Rs 3,300 per tonne when sugar was selling at around Rs 34 per kg. With sugar prices now reported at Rs 50 to Rs 55 per kg, he asked why growers should not receive a higher price for their cane.
The threatened NH-48 blockade would affect a major road connection between Karnataka and Maharashtra and could disrupt passenger and freight movement through the region. The farmer leaders said the highway could again be blocked from Saturday if no decision is announced by Friday evening. Padasalagi also warned that the agitation could intensify beyond the control of its leaders if the dispute remains unresolved.
