Bagalkot farmers decide to withdraw protest

Sugar factories in Bagalkot have promised a base price of ₹3,800 per tonne of sugarcane.

Sugarcane farmers in Bagalkot district have decided to withdraw their agitation after factories promised a base price of ₹3,800 per tonne.

Leaders told reporters in Mudhol on Friday that they are accepting the offer price with some conditions that the factories agree to share profits of the sale of byproducts and that the factories maintain transparency in their operations.

Their other conditions include a tripartite agreement between farmers, factories and the State government, upfront payment of ₹3,800 before the end of the crushing season and timely payment of additional payments.

A team of senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner Sangappa and Superintendent of Police Siddartha Goel, facilitated three rounds of talks between factories and farmers. The deal was hammered out in the last meeting on Thursday.

The deal was struck as the farmers stepped down from their original demand of ₹5,500 per tonne and factories agreed to hike the offer price to ₹3,800, a senior officer involved in the talks told reporters in Bagalkot on Friday.

Officials said that the Nirani group of companies led by the former Minister Murugesh Nirani was the first to offer ₹3,800 per tonne, ₹200 above the Belagavi offer and ₹500 above the average price paid to farmers last year.

Later, officials from Godavari Sugars, Prabhulingeshwara, ICPL and other factories announced that they will honour the offer.

Sugarcane growers were protesting in Bagalkot, Mudhol and Jamkhandi for over a week now. They rejected the offer price of ₹3,600 offered by factories in a meeting headed by Minister Satish Jarkiholi in Belagavi.

They set up a platform named after farmers leader late Ramesh Gadadannavar and sat on a dharna. They said that they would not budge until the factories offered ₹5,500 per tonne. However, the protest ended by Friday.

Most of the 13 factories are expected to start crushing immediately, officials said.

Farmers leader Eerappa Hanchinal argued that they will not accept ₹3,600 as it is a result of a political bargain.

He criticised Belagavi leaders Chunappa Pujeri and Shashikant Padasalagi Guruji for accepting the offer of ₹3,600. He said that the earlier offer has not taken into account the cost of cultivation and the rise in the cost of living.

He demanded the proper implementation of the recommendations made by C. Rangarajan and M.S. Swaminathan committees.