CM to hold meetings with farmers and factory managements to resolve sugarcane price deadlock

Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil said on Wednesday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would chair meetings with farmers and factory managements in the next two days to resolve the deadlock over sugarcane prices.

Addressing protesting farmers in Gurlapur in Belagavi district, he said that the Chief Minister would meet farmers in the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Thursday and meet factory representatives on Friday. He said that he sympathised with their cause and that the State government was ready to resolve the issue. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, SP Bheemashankar S Guled and other officers accompanied the Minister.

“The Chief Minister has asked me to hold talks with you and learn about your problems. He has also asked me to issue instructions to officials to ensure that farmers do not suffer any inconvenience,’’ Mr. Patil said. He urged them to end the strike and put forward their demands before the Chief Minister in Bengaluru instead.

Sri Shashikant Guruji of Inchigeri Shakha Math said that the farmers would withdraw the protest only if the State government announced a higher price on Thursday. He criticised district in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi and Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, who hailed from Belagavi and owned sugar factories, for not meeting protesting farmers in Belagavi. The seer also demanded that another meeting of sugar factory managements. He urged the Deputy Commissioner to hold another meeting of farmers and factories in Belagavi, to finalise the price. A meeting convened by the Deputy Commissioner on Tuesday had failed to resolve the issue.

“If we abandon the protest and go to Bengaluru to meet the Chief Minister, it will send a wrong message to our fellow farmers,” the seer said.

Chunappa Pujari, farmers’ leader, asked the State government to ensure that the factories paid the price announced by the government. He suggested that if the factories failed to pay less than ₹3,500 per tonne, the State government should pay the balance to farmers, on the lines of the incentive being paid to milk producers.

Mr. Patil invited a delegation of farmers from Belagavi to the Chief Minister’s meeting in Bengaluru and said that he would join the meeting.