Someshwar Sugar Factory in Pune district faces a threatened cane-cutting and supply stoppage protest after farmer leader Satish Kakade demanded that the cooperative immediately deposit a first payment of ₹3,900 per tonne into sugarcane growers’ bank accounts. The Shetkari Kruti Samiti has warned that a decision must be taken by November 25 or it will begin the protest.
The factory, located in the Someshwar area of Baramati taluka, began operations on October 15, 2026, according to the report. It has so far crushed 2.60 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced 2.85 lakh bags of sugar. The factory’s recovery rate is reported to be 11.04%, described as the highest among sugar factories in Pune and neighbouring districts.
Kakade said the factory’s operational and financial position warranted an immediate decision by its newly appointed board of directors. The demand is for the first instalment to be paid at ₹3,900 per tonne, with the committee asking the board to call a meeting and approve the payment without delay.
The demand follows a wider dispute over the first payment to sugarcane growers in Maharashtra. Last week, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti had demanded that all sugar factories pay ₹4,500 per tonne as the first instalment. The report says that protests were held after sugar factories and the government did not respond to that demand, including disruptions that stopped traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru road and affected factory operations.
Following discussions between the government and the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, a first payment of ₹3,900 per tonne was agreed as a proposed settlement, according to the report. The Someshwar committee has now asked the factory to implement that payment for its members and help resolve the wider deadlock affecting growers in Pune and nearby districts.
The dispute directly concerns the timing and value of payments reaching farmers after cane is delivered for crushing. For the factory, the decision will involve its board of directors and the calculation of payments linked to the current crushing season. For growers, the November 25 deadline set by the committee creates an immediate milestone before the threatened protest begins.
The Shetkari Kruti Samiti has also appealed to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetratai Pawar to instruct Someshwar Sugar Factory’s board to pay the first instalment at ₹3,900 per tonne. The next formal step identified in the report is the factory board’s decision before November 25.
