Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has appealed to sugarcane farmers in north Karnataka to withdraw their ongoing protests and join talks with the government in Bengaluru, even as agitation across several districts continued for the seventh consecutive day. The farmers have been demanding a uniform price of ₹3,500 per tonne for sugarcane, citing rising input costs and alleged underpayment by sugar mills.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday, Siddaramaiah stressed that the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane was determined by the Union government, not the state. “The FRP is fixed by the Centre. This year, the recovery rate has been set at 10.25 per tonne, including harvesting and transportation costs,” he said. The Chief Minister announced that he had called for a meeting with sugar factory owners and farmers’ representatives from Haveri, Belagavi, Vijayapura, and Bagalkote districts on Friday to discuss their grievances.
Siddaramaiah urged farmers not to escalate the agitation or resort to road blockades, saying such actions caused inconvenience to the public. “I request farmers not to continue with such strikes. Let us resolve the issue through discussion. I will also seek an appointment with the Prime Minister immediately to take up their concerns,” he said.
The Chief Minister accused the Centre of failing to support sugar-producing states like Karnataka, arguing that it not only fixed cane prices but also regulated sugar sales, halted exports, and restricted ethanol allocation. “Despite Karnataka producing 270 crore litres of ethanol, we were allotted only 47 crore litres,” he said. He further alleged that opposition parties were “misleading farmers for political gain,” even as the state government was implementing several reforms, including digital weighing systems and local committees to oversee harvesting and transport.
Karnataka, one of India’s leading sugarcane-producing states, is projected to produce over 522 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane in the 2024–25 season. The government meeting scheduled for Friday will be held in two phases — the first with sugarcane farmers between 11 am and 1 pm, followed by a session with farmer leaders from Belagavi and nearby districts.
Meanwhile, tensions remained high in Belagavi, Vijayapura, and Bagalkote, where protests entered their seventh day. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil visited protest sites earlier in the day and invited farmers to meet the Chief Minister in Bengaluru. However, farmer leaders refused, insisting that any decision on pricing should be taken locally. “We will not call off the protest until the government announces a higher price by this evening,” one of the leaders said, adding that travelling to Bengaluru would “send the wrong message” to farmers holding sit-ins across the region.
The protests have seen widespread participation from farmer unions, student groups, and opposition parties. In Belagavi, protesters blocked highways, burned tyres, and shouted slogans against the government. The BJP has also extended support, with state president B.Y. Vijayendra joining demonstrators overnight. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai urged the government to act quickly, proposing a shared solution where sugar factories pay ₹3,300 per tonne and the state covers the remaining ₹200.
Minister Patil said that the government was considering inputs from both factory owners and officials and would make a formal announcement after Friday’s review meeting. “By 2 pm tomorrow, the government will convey its decision, which will be pro-farmer,” he assured.
As Karnataka’s sugarcane belt remains on edge, the standoff has become a key political test for Siddaramaiah’s government, balancing between farmer demands and economic pressures in one of the state’s most politically sensitive regions.
