From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jan 18: Sugarcane growers from all over the state will be adding to the ongoing agitations of farmers against the Yeddyurappa regime by threatening to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha, the government’s seat of power, on Tuesday (January 19) urging the government to announce a ``fair and remunerative price’’ for sugarcane immediately.
Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association President Kurubur Shanthakumar, said over 25,000 cane growers from 15 districts would take out a rally from the City railway station and lay seize to the Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday demanding the Government to address their various grievances.
With prices of sugar skyrocketing, sugar factories earn a net profit of Rs 3,000 per tonne of sugarcane but were paying barely Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 per tonne of cane to growers, which Kurubur termed as a ``gross injustice to growers.’’
Factories in Belgaum region were paying Rs 1,800 per tonne while those in the Mysore region have been paying Rs 1500 per tonne of cane, irrespective of the cane quality resulting in great financial loss to growers, he said.
Factories produce 105 kg of sugar by crushing a tonne of cane, which would fetch Rs 4,300 in the market. The factory owners also earn income through selling molasses and bagasse.
Private sugar units also collect harvesting and transportation cost from farmers, he said pointing out that farmers incur at least Rs 2,200 for cultivation of a tonne of cane, which is a year-long crop.
The government should direct the factories share with the farmers’ the income they receive from molasses and bagasse to make the cane cultivation economically viable, he demanded.
As per the Farmers’ Commission report submitted to the Centre by M S Swaminathan, sugarcane grower should get a price around Rs 2,800 per tonne. The Centre’s statutory minimum price (SMP) for cane has been fixed at Rs 1,298 for 9 %t sugar recovery with Rs 137 per tonne for every additional 1 % recovery.
Although farmers were supplying sugarcane with 11 % sugar recovery, he said they were not getting a fair price. Because of the anti-sugarcane growers’ policies being pursued by the Union Government and apathy of the State Government in implementation of the State Advisory Price (SAP), farmers were forced to give up cultivation of sugarcane in the State.
The growers have also been demanding establishment of a Board for Sugarcane and extension of the crop insurance for the crop. Income earned from cane by-products should be shared on the ratio of 40:60 by factories and growers, he said.
The factories should refrain from collecting transportation cost from growers. Factory owners have been exploiting growers by delaying the payment as well as charging uniform rates for all different qualities of cane, he claimed.