Karnataka sugarcane growers stage highway blockades to demand price hike
Farmers in North Karnataka protested for higher procurement prices, leading officials in Belagavi and Dharwad to issue prohibitory orders.
Sugarcane farmers in North Karnataka staged highway blockades on Saturday to demand a hike in procurement prices. Protests occurred in Belagavi, Dharwad, Vijayapura, and Bagalkote, with farmers staging a sit-in at the Belagavi bus stand and blocking roads in Dharwad.
The growers are demanding a procurement price of Rs 5,500 per tonne, the restoration of the Fair and Remunerative Price base recovery to 9.5 per cent, and a review of the Centre's ethanol policy. They also seek a cane price based on the C2 + 50 per cent formula recommended by the National Commission on Farmers.
In Dharwad, farmers blocked the road at Nigadi village and placed baskets of cow dung at the site. Protesters alleged that politician-owned sugar factories are hindering a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) and accused both the Centre and the state government of injustice.
Shashikant Guruji, honorary president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, called for a voluntary statewide bandh. He urged farmers to withhold the sale of milk and vegetables and asked the Kannada film industry to support the movement.
Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, banning protests on national highways and toll plazas. The Dharwad Deputy Commissioner issued similar orders across the district.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar recently urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to take decisions on the farmers' demands. Shivakumar noted that the MSP of sugar has remained at Rs 31 per kg since February 14, 2019.