Joint Committee to Address Sugarcane Farmers' Issues in Maharashtra and Karnataka
The central government plans to establish a joint committee within a week to tackle the grievances of sugarcane farmers from Maharashtra and Karnataka.
A high-level committee will be formed to address farmers' concerns about sugarcane pricing and production costs.
Farmers demand an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar from Rs 31 to Rs 50 per kg.
Protests in Karnataka highlight the urgency for higher cane prices and better pricing mechanisms.
In a significant move to address the grievances of sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the central government announced plans to establish a high-level joint committee within a week. This decision follows extensive discussions held in New Delhi on Monday, where Union ministers met with a delegation of approximately 80-90 farmers from both states.
During the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Food Minister Pralhad Joshi engaged with the farmers, who voiced their demands for higher cane prices due to escalating production costs. They specifically requested an increase in the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar from the current Rs 31 to Rs 50 per kg. The ministers acknowledged the farmers' concerns regarding discrepancies in sugar recovery rates reported by mills, cane weighment issues, and the need for improved laboratory testing and crop insurance.
The proposed committee will comprise representatives from the central government, the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka, farmers' organizations, sugar mills, and scientific experts. Its mandate will include assessing recovery practices, harvesting methods, laboratory testing standards, and the accuracy of weighing processes, with the aim of providing actionable recommendations within a specified timeframe. The ministers also discussed both short- and long-term policy measures to enhance administrative reforms and strengthen technical regulations in the sugar industry.
Joshi elaborated on the methodology for determining the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), which is set at Rs 365 per quintal for the 2026-27 season, based on a sugar recovery rate of 10.25 percent. However, farmer representatives expressed skepticism about the committee's ability to meet their immediate demands for higher cane prices. Bhuvanesh Sidhapur, president of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association, indicated that farmers would deliberate on the meeting's outcomes before deciding on their next steps.
The association is advocating for a cane price of at least Rs 550 per quintal and has argued that the FRP should factor in revenues from by-products like ethanol and bagasse, rather than solely focusing on sugar prices. Additionally, farmers are calling for a State Advisory Price (SAP) in Karnataka, similar to those in other states, as the sugar MSP has remained stagnant since February 2019. Protests in Karnataka, which began on September 29, emphasize the urgency of their demands, with farmers threatening to block highways indefinitely if their requests are not addressed by October 13. Maharashtra and Karnataka rank as the second and third largest sugarcane-producing states in India, following Uttar Pradesh.
