Maharashtra: Sugarcane crushing delayed in Solapur as farmers demand better prices

This year, Patil said, all farmers’ organisations have decided to work together to ensure that mill owners heed their request. The Samiti has written to individual gram panchayats and 51 sarpanches have issued letters asking farmers not to allow sugarcane to be harvested till the Samiti’s demands are met.

Unlike in the past, sugarcane growers of Solapur are united this year, Patil said. Over the past few weeks, agitating farmers have stopped the transportation of harvested cane to some of the mills in Pandharpur taluka of the district. “On Monday, the Solapur collector has called a meeting of mill owners and agitating farmers to discuss the issues,” he said.

Sugarcane mill owners in Maharashtra decided to start crushing the produce post-Diwali. Officially, the season was to start on October 1 but it was delayed due to extremely heavy rains. As of October 24, 26 mills in the state have started the crushing process and more are likely to follow suit.

Over the years, sugarcane growers in Kolhapur and Sangli have obstructed operations till their demands on cane prices were met. Led by the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and its leader Raju Shetti, farmers had forced mills to come to the discussion table and negotiate suitable payment terms. In fact, the movement resulted in Shetti’s rise as a farmer leader and led to him representing the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha seat from Kolhapur district twice.

While Solapur has 37 sugarcane mills, the highest in the state, its farmers so far have failed to put up a united front. In 2014, Patil said, Shetti had protested and ensured that farmers in the district get Rs 2,500/tonne as the first installment price. “However, after that, mill owners have not taken any measures to increase the price although the expenditure on cane has increased manifold,” he added.