The Pune-Bengaluru highway remained blocked at multiple locations in Maharashtra as sugarcane farmers continued their protest for a second day, with the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana warning that milk and vegetable supplies to Mumbai and Pune could be stopped if the state government does not intervene.
The indefinite protest, led by former MP and organisation founder Raju Shetti, is taking place near the Kini toll plaza in Kolhapur. Farmers are demanding a first payment of at least Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane supplied to mills during the current crushing season.
Hundreds of farmers have reportedly been staying overnight on the road, while trucks remain stranded on both sides of the protest site. The organisation has said it could intensify the agitation by disrupting supplies to the two major cities if negotiations do not begin.
According to highway police, traffic has been diverted at several points between Karad and Kagal. Travellers heading towards Pune are being diverted near Peth Naka, while routes towards Kolhapur have been redirected through locations including Sangli Phata, Top, Vathar, Kagal and Uchgaon Phata. Police have asked motorists to follow the diversions to avoid further congestion and disruption.
The protest has raised concerns about the vulnerability of urban food supply chains to disruptions on key inter-city transport routes. Mumbai and Pune depend on road networks connecting them to agricultural and processing regions across Maharashtra, making prolonged blockades a potential operational issue for transporters, wholesalers and retailers. The supplied report, however, does not provide an estimate of current supply shortages or the volume of traffic affected.
The farmers’ demand is linked to the first instalment payable by sugar mills during the ongoing crushing season. The report said Kolhapur District Collector Vijay Rathod may intervene and has sought a proposal from mill owners. Under the proposal described in the report, mills could offer between Rs 3,800 and Rs 3,900 per tonne initially, followed by an additional Rs 150 to Rs 200 per tonne after the crushing season ends.
The proposed amount remains below the farmers’ demand of Rs 4,500 per tonne. No agreement between the farmers, mills and the state government had been reported at the time of publication, and the report did not confirm whether the district administration had formally opened negotiations with the protesters.
A central team led by expert Ramesh Chand was also scheduled to hold discussions in Pune with stakeholders from Maharashtra after completing a visit to Karnataka. The panel is examining industry demands to raise the minimum support price for sugar from Rs 34 to Rs 50 per kilogram and increase the purchase price of ethanol to Rs 70 per kilogram. The sugar industry has argued that higher realisations would help mills make timely payments to farmers.
The immediate next steps are the proposed stakeholder meeting at the Sugar Commissioner’s office in Pune and any intervention by the Kolhapur district administration. Until an agreement is reached, highway diversions and the farmers’ warning over milk and vegetable supplies remain in effect according to the report.
