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Karnataka Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi on Tuesday said the issue of sugarcane prices in Karnataka could be resolved within two days, adding that the state government was working towards an agreement involving farmers, sugar factory owners and the government.
Speaking to the media, Savadi said Chief Minister D K Shivakumar held a meeting with farmers after the Dussehra festivities and that a joint meeting of sugar factory owners and farmers was held on Monday. Ministers came with the intention that farmers should get permanent relief. This is the first time that a CM himself has come to the doorstep of farmers to find a solution. People across the state are welcoming the CM's move, Savadi said. He said farmers had demanded Rs 4,000 per tonne for sugarcane. Referring to a meeting in Hubballi, Savadi said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi had promised to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for sugar by Rs 50. In the meeting held in Hubballi, Union Minister Joshi has promised to increase the MSP by Rs 50. Factory owners have said that if the MSP for sugar is increased by Rs 50, we are ready to give Rs 4,000 today itself. But this will take a month, he said. The minister said the state was facing drought conditions, with water levels declining and sugarcane crops drying up, and stressed that sugar factories should begin crushing operations immediately. Today, the market price of sugar is up to Rs 48. The CM instructed the factory owners that you should give Rs 4,000 to farmers based on today's sugar price, Savadi said, referring to Shivakumar's direction to factory owners. He added that the factory owners had sought two days to respond. Savadi called for an agreement between the government, factory owners and farmers based on the prevailing market price of sugar. Let us make an agreement between the government, factory owners and farmers based on the market price. It should be made according to the current price. This will be a happy ending, he said. Everything cannot be decided in a hurry. The problem can be solved in two days, he added. Highlighting his own experience as a sugarcane farmer, Savadi said he cultivated between 18,000 and 20,000 tonnes of sugarcane and stressed that the issue involved not only farmers' efforts but also concerns related to weighing and pricing. I myself am a sugarcane farmer who grows 18 to 20 thousand tonnes. This is not the result of farmers' hard work alone. I have acted responsibly in the matter of weighing. What should be done regarding weighing and other issues is being discussed. Once the MSP price is fixed, a decision will be taken on how much price will be received, he said. The minister warned that the drought situation could continue into next year, raising concerns over the survival of sugarcane crops. There is a difficult situation. Drought is not limited to this year; there is information that it will continue next year too. There is doubt whether sugarcane will survive next year or not. We will ensure that sugarcane does not go to Maharashtra, Savadi said. He added that the government would ensure farmers were not treated unfairly and expressed confidence that the price payable to them would be determined once the MSP was fixed. We will ensure that injustice does not happen. Once MSP is fixed, farmers will automatically get the price, he said. (ANI)
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