Sugarcane farmers staged a protest in Mysuru on Tuesday, attempting to reach the deputy commissioner’s office over demands for the fixation of a state advisory price for sugarcane and an increase in the fair and remunerative price set by the Centre. The demonstration disrupted traffic for more than three hours and ended after farmer representatives submitted a petition to the additional deputy commissioner.
Members of the Sugarcane Growers’ Coordination Committee gathered at Buddha Circle in front of the milk dairy in Siddhartha Nagar before marching towards the deputy commissioner’s office. Protesters carried sugarcane stalks and raised slogans against the Central and Karnataka governments. They also cooked and ate food on the road as part of the demonstration.
When the protesters attempted to enter the deputy commissioner’s office, police installed barricades. According to the report, some protesters removed the barricades and placed them on the road, while others staged a road blockade and lay on the carriageway to stop vehicles. Traffic was diverted through alternative routes during the protest. Protesters also set fire to photographs of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.
State Sugarcane Growers’ Association president Kuruburu Shanthakumar said Punjab had fixed its state advisory price at ₹4,480, Uttar Pradesh at ₹4,200 and Tamil Nadu at ₹4,000. He accused the Karnataka government of misleading farmers by saying it did not have the authority to determine the price. He also criticised the Centre over the fair and remunerative price for sugarcane, saying the rate did not adequately support growers.
Shanthakumar said farmer organisations had joined the protest over what they described as the neglect of growers by both governments. Manju Kiran, a leader of the Samuhika Nayakathva Raitha Sangha, said the government was showing an indifferent attitude towards the farmers’ movement. The remarks were made during the protest and represent the positions of the farmer leaders.
Deputy commissioners of police Harsha Priyamvada and K.S. Sundarraju later held talks with the protesters. The farmers insisted that they should be allowed into the deputy commissioner’s office, after which Raitha Sangha leader Hosakote Basavaraj submitted a petition to Additional Deputy Commissioner Aishwarya.
The agitation may expand if the demands are not addressed. State Raitha Sangha president Badagalapura Nagendra said farmers would hold a major protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday if the government failed to act. He also referred to the drought-related difficulties faced by growers and warned of village-level mobilisation. The report did not specify any immediate government decision on the pricing demands.
