Bagalkot: While sugarcane farmers in Belagavi district have called off their agitation after chief minister Siddaramaiah announced a fair and remunerative price (FRP) of Rs 3,300 per tonne, growers in Bagalkot have continued their protest, insisting on Rs 3,500 per tonne regardless of the recovery rate.
After nine days of strike, the govt fixed a maximum FRP of Rs 3,300 per tonne based on a sugar recovery of 11.3% rate. For cane with a 10.3% recovery, FRP is set at Rs 3,200 per tonne, with an additional Rs 1 per quintal for every 0.1% increase in recovery. Following the announcement, farmers in Belagavi and other districts withdrew their strike.
But farmers in Mudhol stepped up their protest Wednesday, blocking the Mudhol–Jamkhandi Road near Shirol to press their demand for Rs 3,500 per tonne. The blockade disrupted traffic for several hours, and agitators vowed to continue their stir until the govt revises the FRP.
Under the Karnataka Sugarcane (Regulation of Purchase and Supply) Act, 2013, factories are required to pay Rs 3,200 per tonne within 14 days of procurement. The remaining Rs 100 — shared equally by the govt and the factory — must be cleared within six months.
But Bagalkot farmers rejected the FRP formula and insisted that prices should be decided through mutual agreement between growers and factories.
Most factories in Bagalkot operate below the 11.3% recovery benchmark, leaving them ineligible for the full FRP. Only EID Parry's Nayanageli unit, with a recovery of 11.8%, qualifies for the top rate.
Bagalkot district has 14 sugar factories, while Vijayapura and Belagavi have 10 and 29 operational units respectively.
One farmer said: "Our demand is Rs 3,500 per tonne, irrespective of recovery. We are against FRP based on recovery rates. Factories have not cleared last year's dues or the second instalment for 2024–25. Until payments are made, our agitation will continue."
Karnataka produced 42 lakh tonnes of sugar in 2024–25, of which 30.7 lakh tonnes came from three districts — Belagavi (16.1 lakh tonnes), Bagalkot (11.3 lakh tonnes), and Vijayapura (3.1 lakh tonnes). A total of 5.2 crore tonnes of sugarcane was crushed, yielding an average recovery of 8%.
