Kalaburagi: Members of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association, under the banner of the All India Sugarcane Farmers Federation (AISFF) of Karnataka State Committee, announced plans to stage a “Belagavi Chalo” protest outside Suvarna Soudha on December 12. They are demanding that the Fair Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane be set at ₹5,000 per tonne and urging government action to clear longstanding dues owed for sugarcane supplied to sugar factories, reported The Hindu.
State Secretary of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association, N.L. Bharatraj, and district president of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, Sharanabasappa Mamshetty, addressed the media on Friday, calling on the central government to adjust the sugar recovery rate from 10.25% to 8.5%. They pointed out that the FRP for the 2024-25 season has been set at ₹340 per quintal at a sugar recovery rate of 10.25%, an increase from last season’s rate. They insist that the FRP should instead be fixed at ₹5,000 per tonne with a recovery rate of 8.5%.
Mamshetty also raised concerns over the high fees that factories are charging for harvesting and transporting sugarcane, which range from ₹588 per tonne for a distance of 5 km to ₹661 per tonne for 20 km.
He called for strengthening the Sugarcane (Control) Order of 1966 to better protect farmers’ interests. He added that around 350 sugarcane farmers from Kalaburagi district are expected to participate in the December protest.
