Sugarcane growers in North Karnataka districts in general and those in Belgaum district often bear the brunt of price fluctuations as the region accounts for nearly 65 per cent of sugarcane production.
Belgaum district is stands first in sugarcane production in Karnataka accounting for 35 per cent of the state’s production. With 18 sugar factories, the district produces 13 million tonnes of sugarcane every year, while the total production in the state stands at 35 million tonnes. Bagalkot has eight factories while Bidar has four, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Davanagere three each.
The area under sugarcane cultivation in the state is over 350,000 hectares and the requirement by all factories put together is 30 million tonnes. The sugarcane production has gone up by 25 per cent this year though the yield per acre has reduced from 40 tonnes to 30 tonnes.
State Sugarcane Growers’ Association accuses the sugar factories of misguiding the farmers by telling that the total yield in the state has gone up and that the supply exceeded demand.
Said SSGA president Kurbur Shantkumar: “Though there is an increase in the sugarcane production by 25 per cent, it does not mean that supply exceeds demand. Of the 35 million tonnes produced, nearly 7 million tonnes go for jaggery production while 3 million tonnes are used for re-planting. As a result the supply will be around 25 million tonnes while the demand is 30 million tonnes. SSGA is trying to educate farmers about this.”
The demand for passing the State Advisory Price (SAP) Act has not been fruitful. Following agitation by farmers in JanuaryôFebruary this year the state government appointed a committee under the chairmanship of State Krishi Mission chief S A Patil. The committee has since met only once and no progress has been made, according to Shantkumar who is also a member of the committee.