Belgavi, Karnataka: Hundreds of farmers from the Belagavi, Vijayapura, and Bagalkot districts held a large demonstration at Gurlapur Cross on Thursday. They are calling for sugar mills in Karnataka to pay 3,500 rupees for each tonne of sugarcane as a first installment for the new season. The farmers mentioned that in the neighboring state of Maharashtra, mills are already paying 3,600 rupees per tonne, reported Deccan Herald.
Wearing green towels, the crowd expressed their anger towards the state government and the sugar companies. They also voiced their disappointment with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil, and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, accusing them of paying no attention to their request.
Farm group leaders Shashikant Guroji, Choonappa Pujaro, and others issued a strong warning. They said the demonstrations would not stop until the government officially declares the price for their sugarcane. They publicly asked Minister Jarkiholi and the district’s head official, Mohammad Roshan, to come to the protest site and announce the price.
“The majority of people in our country are farmers, and governments are chosen by our votes. Still, our problems are ignored,” the farmers said. “When political parties want our votes, they make many promises to farmers. But after the elections, those promises are broken.”
Their demands have received support from several political figures, including Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi and leaders from the Janata Dal (Secular) party.
