Siddaramaiah Seeks PM Modi’s Urgent Intervention To End Sugarcane Farmers’ Agitation In Karnataka | The Bengaluru Live

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an urgent appointment to discuss the escalating sugarcane farmers’ agitation in the state’s northern districts. Despite multiple rounds of dialogue between the government, sugar mills, and farmer representatives, protests have intensified across Belagavi, Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Bidar, Gadag, Dharwad, and Haveri, with farmers threatening highway blockades if their demands are not met.

In his letter (No. CM/323/GOI/2025), Siddaramaiah described the situation as “grave and deteriorating,” highlighting that farmers’ anger stems from low cane pricing, delayed payments, and unfair recovery formulas that make sugarcane cultivation “economically unsustainable.”

“Despite sustained efforts by the State Government to engage both farmers and mill owners, the unrest has intensified,” Siddaramaiah wrote, urging the Prime Minister to take immediate action to safeguard the livelihoods of lakhs of cane growers.

State Measures Fail to Calm Farmers

The CM noted that Karnataka’s administration has taken several proactive steps — including advising mills to pay ₹3,200 per tonne at 11.25% recovery and ₹3,100 per tonne at 10.25% recovery, excluding harvesting and transport costs. District administrations have introduced digital weighbridges, monitoring committees, and free weighing facilities at APMCs to ensure payment transparency.

Siddaramaiah Seeks PM Modi’s Urgent Intervention to End Sugarcane Farmers’ Agitation in Karnataka

However, these measures have done little to pacify farmers. The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) set by the Centre for the 2025–26 season is ₹355 per quintal (₹3,550 per tonne) for a 10.25% recovery rate. After deducting mandatory harvesting and transport costs, farmers earn barely ₹2,600–₹3,000 per tonne, far below the viability threshold.

Siddaramaiah attributed the root of the crisis to the Central Government’s pricing and procurement policies, including the rigid FRP formula, a stagnant Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export restrictions, and underutilised ethanol offtake.

Farmers Demand ₹3,500 per Tonne and Timely Payments

The Chief Minister said farmers are demanding a cane price of ₹3,500 per tonne (net, after deductions) and time-bound payments, calling this “the bare minimum required for survival.”

“They seek not charity but a fair, transparent, and enforceable pricing mechanism,” Siddaramaiah stated, pressing the Centre to address farmers’ grievances immediately.

He urged the Union Government to consider the following measures:

Authorize states to fix or endorse net cane prices post-harvest and transport deductions, or mandate mills to absorb these costs.
Recalibrate the FRP formula to include a recovery-rate-linked premium.
Revise the MSP of sugar above ₹31 per kg.
Open a calibrated export window to offload unsold sugar stocks.
Increase ethanol procurement and ensure faster payment cycles.
Strengthen enforcement mechanisms to prioritize pending farmer dues.
Constitute a joint high-level monitoring committee to oversee the cane payment ecosystem until the end of the current crushing season.

Centre’s Role Critical to Resolving Crisis

Siddaramaiah emphasized that while the State has acted “diligently and in good faith,” the core levers of sugarcane pricing and regulation lie with the Union Government.

“Our State has done everything within its jurisdiction, but the crisis persists because fundamental policy levers are in the Centre’s hands,” the CM said, urging the Prime Minister to grant an immediate appointment to find a cooperative resolution.

He concluded by stressing that a central intervention was crucial “to protect the livelihood of cane farmers, sustain rural incomes, and uphold the integrity of India’s sugarcane value chain.”