Maharashtra sugarcane farmers up in arms

Stop sugarcane supply to factories over denial of fair price

Farmers in the southern Maharashtra region have decided not to supply sugarcane if sugar barons fail to respond to their demand of Rs 1,800 per tonne as the first installment of the final price of sugarcane in the current season.

During massive rallies at Jaysingpur in Kolhapur district, Sangli, Satara and other areas, farmers organisations have expressed their dissatisfaction over the denial of fair price by owners of sugar cooperatives in the region.

At Jayasingpur, chief of the 'Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghtana' and MLA Raju Shetty alleged that most of the sugar factory managements had not paid the first installment of Rs 1,500 due to farmers for the cane supplied in the last season. Though sugar barons agreed to pay the mutually decided price for cane, they delayed the payment indefinitely.

Addressing over 35,000 farmers who turned up braving heavy rain to take part in the rally on Saturday, Shetty alleged that sugar barons were using political pressure on the 'agricultural prices commission' to prevent it from fixing a fair minimum support price.

At Sangli and Satara, Shetakari Sanghtana leader Raghunathdada Patil came down heavily on sugar barons and threatened to go any length to secure a fair price for sugarcane.

He said that the new awakening among the farming community would not allow any manipulations by sugar factory managements. "They are united and collectively will prevent factory managements from buying sugarcane unless the first installment was paid."

The rising anger among farmers resulting in stone-throwing incidents during Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's visit to Sangli made both factory managements and the district administration nervous.

The growing confrontation between farmers and sugar factory managements in general and sugar barons in particular may aggravate the situation further if the demand for fair price is not accepted.