Farmers’ protest secures ₹3,600 sugarcane price agreement
KALABURAGI: The prolonged agitation by sugarcane farmers in Kalaburagi district ended late at night after all five sugar factories agreed to pay ₹3,500 per tonne, along with an additional ₹100 linked to sugar prices.
The agreement was reached during the fifth round of negotiations held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office under the leadership of the district administration. The meeting continued until 11.30 pm after several hours of discussions between farmers’ representatives and sugar factory managements.
Earlier rounds of talks held in the morning and afternoon had failed to produce a settlement. Initially, the factories had offered ₹3,450 per tonne, along with an additional ₹150 under a profit-sharing arrangement if the market price of sugar crossed ₹50 per kg. However, farmers rejected the proposal and demanded a minimum price of ₹3,600 per tonne.
Hundreds of farmers, led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene leaders Chunappa Pujeri and Shashikant Guruji, gathered at the Deputy Commissioner’s office to press their demands. Farmers from Chowdapur village in Afzalpur taluk and other parts of the district arrived in tractors, SUVs and motorcycles to intensify the agitation.
After prolonged negotiations and heated discussions, representatives of all five sugar factories agreed to the revised payment structure of ₹3,500 per tonne as the basic price and an additional ₹100.
Following the agreement, the farmers called off their indefinite protest, which had continued for several hours.
The settlement has brought relief to sugarcane growers and farmers’ organisations, who had been demanding better returns for their produce. The agreement marks the conclusion of the immediate agitation, following negotiations between the farmers, factory managements and district administration.
