Sugarcane farmers in about 20 districts across Karnataka staged a protest by blocking the National Highways for two hours on Thursday against the State Government’s delay in announcing the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for the 2022-23 season starting October.
Growers are also seeking an increase in FRP at ₹3500 per tonne of cane on rising input costs, including fertiliser, labour, harvest, and transportation charges, said Kurbur Shantkumar, President, Karnataka State Sugarcane Farmers Association. The State has held four inter-ministerial level meetings, but is yet to announce the FRP for the 2022-23 season, he said.
Further, Shantkumar said Punjab has recently announced an increase in FRP for the 2022-23 season. When farmers are receiving FRP of ₹3,800 per tonne in Punjab, ₹3,500 per tonne in Uttar Pradesh, and ₹4400 per tonne in Gujarat, the growers in Karnataka should get a minimum of ₹3,500 per tonne, Shantakumar said.
Shantkumar said that the price of potash has gone up by ₹1000 per bag, DAP by ₹500, while factories have already increased the harvest and transportation charges by ₹250 per tonne this season. Sugar factories are charging anywhere between ₹600-900 per tonne as harvesting and transportation charges, depending on the distance between the farm and the mills.
Farmers staged protests in Mysuru, Belagavi, Davangere, Dharwad, Bellary, Kalaburgi, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Gadag, Chamrajnagar, Hassan, and Bidar districts, among others.
The Centre has announced a fair and remunerative price (FRP) of ₹305 per quintal for sugarcane for the 2022-23 (Oct-Sept) season for the basic sugar recovery rate of 10.25 per cent. The Centre’s FRP for the previous season was ₹290 per quintal with a basic recovery rate of 10 per cent.
In Karnataka, the third largest producer of sugarcane after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the cane output is expected to be higher this year at 7.5 crore tonnes on improved yields and higher acreages against previous year’s 6.33 crore tonnes, he said.