Rs.300 crore support price for Karnataka sugarcane farmers

The Karnataka government Friday decided to release Rs.300 crore as additional support price to sugarcane farmers for this fiscal.

"The support price of Rs.150 per tonne is in addition to the minimum price of Rs.2,500 per tonne the state government has fixed for sugar mills to pay farmers," state Sugar Minister Prakash B. Hukkeri told reporters here.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the support price in the 10-day winter session of the state legislative assembly, held last month at Belgaum in the northern region of the state, about 500 km away from here.

"The amount will be paid to farmers through deputy commissioners of respective districts. Sugar mills will crush an estimated 30 million tonnes of cane during the current sugar season," Hukkeri said after a cabinet meeting here.

Meanwhile, the cabinet decided to hold a 10-day budget session of the state legislature in Bangalore, with Governor H.R. Bhardwaj addressing its joint session.

Date of the commencement of the session will be decided soon.

The cabinet also decided to set up an additional milk dairy in Chamarajanagar district in the old Mysore region at a cost of Rs.83 crore.