Murugesh Nirani supports sugarcane farmers' agitation

Hubballi Former minister and sugar industrialist Murugesh Nirani has supported sugarcane farmers’ agitation for higher prices, stating that sugarcane rates should increase annually in line with rising agricultural production costs, including fertiliser prices and labour wages. Addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Monday, Nirani said farmers’ demands were justified but stressed that sugarcane prices must be fixed by balancing the interests of farmers, sugar factories, consumers, banks and the government. He said an expert committee headed by former NITI Aayog member and agricultural scientist Prof. Ramesh Chand had been formed to study the issue. The committee will visit different states, consult stakeholders and submit its report within 30 days. An appropriate decision is expected after examining its recommendations. Referring to the farmers’ demand for ₹5,500 per tonne, Nirani said the appropriate price should be determined by the expert committee. He also suggested separate pricing mechanisms for household sugar consumption and sugar supplied to commercial industries manufacturing soft drinks, chocolates, sweets, ice cream and pharmaceuticals. Higher revenues from commercial sales could help factories improve payments to farmers without placing an additional burden on ordinary consumers. He further called for measures to curb black-market sales and urged the government to review sugar pricing, noting that domestic prices were lower than international rates. Nirani also highlighted pending issues concerning power purchase agreements for electricity generated by sugar factories. He said Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had promised to resolve the concerns within 15 days during a farmers’ protest at Gurlapura last year, but several demands remained unresolved. He added that sugar industry associations had approached the Centre seeking a fairer allocation of sugar sales based on production capacity, actual output and market demand. On farmers’ threats to shut down sugar factories, Nirani said further action would depend on the government’s decision and the expert committee’s findings.