Karnataka sugarcane growers to protest

The sugarcane growers across the state have threatened to launch a massive protest in front of the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in Belagavi during the legislative session that is scheduled to begin on December 8, if the state government failed to fulfill the demands of the growers.

The decision to this effect was taken at the executive committee meeting of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association held here on Monday.

Sangha president Kurubur Shantkumar said the sugarcane growers would protest during the state cabinet meeting on November 11 at Kalaburagi.

If the government failed to meet their demands, the protest would begin at Belagavi, he added.

 Last year the government had fixed a price of Rs 2,500 per tonne of sugarcane, but the farmers were yet to be paid Rs 2,100 crore in arrears.

The association had put forward a demand to nominate the representatives of the sugarcane growers in the price fixation committee and grant the farmers the permission to kill the pigs destroying the standing crop.

The Kerala state government had granted such rights to the sugarcane growers, he added.

Shantkumar demanded that the state government pass a legislation that enables killing of pigs as pigs were damaging the crops, causing heavy losses to farmers.