Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar chaired a meeting with sugar factory owners, government officials and farmer leaders in Belagavi on Monday as farmers pressed for a sugarcane price of ₹5,500 a tonne, including the state’s proposed ₹1,000 incentive.
The meeting began at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha at 12.40pm, later than the scheduled 11am start. The discussions brought together owners of all 81 sugar factories in the state, along with ministers, legislators and senior officials.
Among the demands placed before the state government was a request to set aside ₹500 crore for installing modern weighing equipment at sugar factories. Farmer representatives said the measure was needed to prevent alleged irregularities in the weighing of sugarcane supplied to mills.
The farmers also sought the appointment of a sugar commissioner, a post they said was necessary for stronger administrative oversight of the sector. Their demands extend beyond the price paid for cane and include the functioning of the regulatory system that links farmers, factories and the state government.
The meeting was attended by ministers M.B. Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, S.S. Mallikarjun, Laxman Savadi, Cheluvarayaswamy, Santosh Lad and Rudrappa Lamani, as well as Member of Parliament Priyanka Jarkiholi. Legislators and former legislators from the region were also present.
The participating lawmakers included Laxmi Hebbalkar, Aravind Bellad, Mahesh Tenginkai, Mahendra Thammannavar, Mahantesh Kaulagi, C.S. Nadagouda, Yashwanthrayagowda Patil and Siddu Savadi. Legislative Council members Basavaraj Horatti, Channaraj Hattiholi and Hanamant Nirani, along with Rajya Sabha member Narayana Bhandage, also attended the meeting, according to the report.
The farmers further demanded that the Centre raise the sugar minimum selling price from ₹31 to ₹60. The minimum selling price is a central policy matter and directly affects the value chain in which sugar factories operate, although the report does not state that any decision has been taken on the demand.
The meeting is taking place as Karnataka’s sugar economy faces pressure from competing demands over the price received by farmers, the financial position of mills and the administrative monitoring of transactions at factory gates. The reported demand for modern weighing machines places measurement accuracy at the centre of the dispute, while the call for a sugar commissioner points to concerns about institutional supervision.
After the meeting with factory owners, Chief Minister Shivakumar was scheduled to visit Yellamma Hill to launch various development works. A separate meeting with farmer leaders was scheduled to follow the visit. The report did not specify the outcome of the meeting with factory owners or announce any final decision on the price, weighing-equipment allocation or appointment of a sugar commissioner.
