Kolhapur: Raju Shetti, the President of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and former Member of Parliament is set to embark on an “Atmaklesh” yatra starting from October 17, to pressure sugar mills to distribute windfall profits to sugarcane farmers, reported The Times of India.
During this yatra, Shetti intends to personally visit every significant sugar mill in the districts of Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara. He has declared that he will undertake this march on foot, covering an impressive distance of 522 kilometers. This journey is anticipated to bolster Shetti’s presence in the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha constituency, which he lost in 2019. Both Kolhapur and Sangli districts are part of this Parliamentary constituency. The yatra will culminate in Jaysingpur, situated in Kolhapur district, where Shetti is expected to address a gathering of farmers.
Shetti is advocating for a payment of Rs 400 per tonne to be given to farmers as their share for supplying sugarcane to the mills in the previous year. He stated, “Despite our protest rally and the ‘Dhol Bajao Andolan,’ mill owners have not shown any willingness to respond. While mills from the Pune district have committed to providing the additional amount to the farmers, mills in Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara are facing difficulties in doing so. We have conducted our calculations, and we firmly believe that the mills must allocate a portion of the profits accrued during the last season to the farmers, without exception.”
