K’taka sugarcane farmers set deadline, threaten massive jail bharo agitation
Bengaluru: Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka’s Belagavi district have set a fresh deadline for the government to announce a remunerative price for sugarcane, warning that they would intensify their jail bharo agitation and launch a massive protest if their demands are not fulfilled.
The fresh ultimatum of 1 p.m. on Wednesday comes after two rounds of meetings held on Tuesday by Public Works Department Minister and Belagavi District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi failed to break the deadlock between sugar factory owners and farmers. Considering the seriousness of the situation and the growing unrest, Jarkiholi is holding another round of discussions with sugar factory owners on Wednesday.
The meeting has assumed significance as farmer leaders have warned that they would not withdraw their agitation unless a satisfactory price is announced. The sugar factory owners have reportedly agreed to pay Rs 3,500 per tonne, but the farmers have rejected the offer outright.
The farmers are demanding Rs 4,500 per tonne from sugar factories and an additional Rs 1,000 per tonne from the state government, taking their total demand to Rs 5,500 per tonne.
Farmer leader Choonappa Poojari said there was no point in holding repeated meetings without arriving at a concrete decision. He asserted that farmers would not accept the offer of Rs 3,500 per tonne and demanded that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announce a subsidy of Rs 1,000 per tonne as the state’s contribution.
He warned that the government would have to face serious consequences if it continued to undermine the farmers’ demands. He also cautioned that the government would witness a major agitation during the upcoming winter session of the Karnataka Legislature if the issue remained unresolved.
The protests have also been staged in Mysuru and Mandya districts. The farmers in Mysuru attempted to barge into the Deputy Commissioner’s office. In Mandya, sugarcane farmers, along with Kannada activists, staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the state and central governments.
The sugarcane agitation has been intensifying over the past several weeks, with farmers organising padayatras, highway blockades, protest marches and statewide demonstrations. Earlier, farmers had blocked the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway for more than 30 hours, demanding a higher price for their produce. A subsequent meeting on October 26 at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, involving the government, sugar factory owners and farmer representatives, also failed to resolve the issue.
During the October 26 discussions, the government had urged sugar factories to provide an additional Rs 250 per tonne to farmers, but several factories had reportedly not implemented the proposal.
Apart from the immediate demand for Rs 5,500 per tonne, farmer organisations have also been demanding an increase in the minimum support price of sugar from Rs 31 to Rs 60 per kg, a revision of the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), timely payment within 14 days and a comprehensive sugar policy.
As part of their jail bharo programme, farmers have already staged demonstrations wearing T-shirts carrying the slogan ‘Prisoner Number 5,500’, indicative of their demand for the price of sugarcane per tonne and marched towards Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi. Farmer organisations are now planning a massive convention in Bengaluru on November 6, followed by further mobilisation at the village level.
Farmer leaders are also preparing for an en masse jail bharo movement if the government fails to announce a decision. They have indicated that the agitation could take a more serious turn during the winter session.
With the 1 p.m. deadline approaching, Wednesday’s meeting between Jarkiholi and sugar factory owners is being closely watched. The government faces the challenge of bridging the gap between the offer made by factory owners and the farmers’ demand before the agitation escalates further.