‘Pay us our dues’: Karnataka sugarcane farmers launch fresh protests against factories

Protest

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy held talks with the protesting farmer leaders and promised to hold a meeting with district level officials on June 11.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday met with sugarcane farmers protesting against the state government over unpaid bills of sugar factories in the state. The protesting farmers had staged an agitation earlier on Tuesday outside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, highlighting 67 sugarcane factories in the state that were yet to pay for crushed cane procured from farmers. "We are here demanding the unpaid dues of factories for the last six months. The government has held meetings with factory owners but the payment is yet to be released," Kurubhara Shantakumar, president of the All India Sugarcane Growers Association told TNM. The Chief Minister, once again forced on the defensive by sugarcane farmers, hastened to set up a meeting with the farmer leaders and agreed to consult with district officials in a meeting on June 11. He further promised to settle the issue and ensure that the unpaid bills are paid to the farmers.  ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಹೆಚ್ ಡಿ ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅವರು ಇಂದು ರೈತ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಿದರು. ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಕಾರ್ಖಾನೆಗಳಿಂದ ಕಬ್ಬಿನ ಬಾಕಿ ಹಣ ಕೊಡಿಸುವಂತೆ ಆಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ರೈತ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳ ಒಕ್ಕೂಟದ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಿ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇತ್ಯರ್ಥ ಮಾಡುವ ಭರವಸೆ ನೀಡಿದರು. pic.twitter.com/ePefpVNbdg — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 4, 2019 In November 2018, sugarcane farmers stormed the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi protesting over the same issue. CM Kumaraswamy was later criticised for describing the protesting farmers as 'people pretending to be sugarcane farmers' which further angered the protesting farmers. The protests were backed by the BJP, the main opposition in Karnataka.  In the last few months, over 100 out of 175 taluks in Karnataka have been declared drought hit. The lack of pre-monsoon rainfall in the state has particularly affected sugarcane growers who are still waiting for their fixed remunerative prices to be paid by factories. The farmers are now exploring legal avenues to ensure that they receive their payment. For instance, in Mandya, over 100 sugarcane growers recently approached police officials with complaints against NSL Sugars and Chamundeshwari Sugar Mills demanding payment of over Rs 100 crore, Shantakumar adds. The farmers were persuaded by the police to drop their complaints and assured that their money would be paid.  The remunerative price to be paid for crushed cane is fixed at Rs 2612.5 per tonne. Sugar factories are also required to pay the price within 14 days of procuring the crushed cane, according to the Karnataka Sugarcane Act 2013. 

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