From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Oct 14: The support price for sugarcane has been fixed at Rs 2,000 a tonne for supplies to government-run factories and private factories located in southern districts of the State for the crop year 2011-12.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda here on Friday.

The Chief Minister, who held a meeting with representatives of farmers and Sugar minister A Ravindranath, Agriculture Minister Umesh V Katti and Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi and senior officials, took stock of sugarcane grown in southern part of the State and growers from Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Davanagere, Chamarajnagar, Ramanagara and Shimoga districts took part.

The new rate is applicable to Shimoga Sugar Mills in Shimoga district, Mysore Sugar Company, Mandya town and Pandavapura Sugar Factory, Pandavapura both located in Mandya district and other private factories located in the southern districts.

The Chief Minister would convene a meeting next month to fix the cane price for north Karnataka districts.

The meeting also decided to fix final price for cane supplied in 2010-11 at Rs 1,900 a tonne. Already the factories paid Rs. 1800 per tonne. The government would inform factories to pay additional Rs. 100 more per tonne to farmers.