The national committee of the All-India Sugarcane Growers Association has announced a state-level convention in Kalaburagi on September 29 and 30. During a press conference on Wednesday, NL Bharatraj, the coordinator of the state association, shared that while the event is state-focused, it will feature leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, all of whom will address the attendees.
Bharatraj indicated that the convention will center on the current state of the sugarcane industry and potential measures to support sugarcane farmers. As per media report by The Times of India, he criticized the central and state governments for allegedly colluding with sugar factory management to deceive farmers. “If the Centre truly cared about farmers, it would set the fair remuneration price (FRP) at Rs 5,000 per tonne,” he stated. He noted that the FRP has evolved from being based on an 8.5% sugar recovery rate in 1994-95 to the current 10.25%, and he urged the government to announce an FRP of Rs 5,370, in line with the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Committee.
