Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka are demanding Rs 4,000 per tonne for their crop.

The Mysore district unit of the Karnataka Sugarcane Producers Association has urged the government to set the price of sugarcane supplied to sugar mills at Rs 4,000 per tonne. A delegation of farmers from the association met Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra in Mysore on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum listing their demands, including a “fair” price for sugarcane.

Farmers claim that production costs have risen due to drought, which has also reduced sugarcane yields. They accuse local sugar mills of cheating by underreporting sugar production and under-weighing sugarcane. Led by Kiraguru Shankar, Executive President of the State Sugarcane Kisan Sangh, Mysore district unit, the farmers also requested the removal of the ban on transporting sugarcane from Mysore to mills in other districts.

The farmers recalled that the state government had directed sugar mills to pay an additional Rs 150 per tonne above the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), but mills in Mysore have not complied. They urged the government to ensure that arrears are paid before the start of the next crushing season.

Bardanpura Nagaraj, general secretary of the Mysore district unit of the State Sugarcane Kisan Sangh, mentioned in the memorandum that the drought has left farmers in a financial crisis, unable to continue farming. He urged the Deputy Commissioner to facilitate interest-free loans from all banks, including cooperative banks.

Additionally, banks should display boards outside their premises listing available credit facilities for farmers. With the onset of rains, farmers also requested officials to start digging lakes, dams, and canals to improve groundwater levels.

Source : khalihan news (https://khalihannews.com/)