Maharashtra’s sugar bowl simmers as cane agitation continues

Shetti and his farmer’s union has declared they would not allow transport or harvesting of cane if their demand of Rs 400 per tonne of cane (crushed for last season) and the full Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) is not met by millers. The union had on Sunday stopped traffic in various areas of the sugar bowl districts, and Shetti has also said they will stop traffic on NH 4 Pune-Bengaluru Highway on November 23.

Meanwhile mills in Hatkanangale and Shirol taluka of Kolhapur have decided not to start crushing till the agitation is not resolved. However, mills fear that they fear Karnataka mills will poach the cane. Also multi-state cooperative mills, which get around 30 per cent of their cane from the neighbouring state, fear they will not be able to harvest and buy that cane on time.

“This season is a short one with cane production less than last year due to the drought. And if the agitation continues we will end up losing cane to Karnataka mills across the border. Already many mills from Belgavi district in Karnataka have started approaching farmers to sell their cane to them,” said a miller from Kolhapur

On Monday, CM Eknath Shinde, in Kolhapur, said the state government was trying to find a way out of the present agitation. Shetti and his union have said they will not allow the mills in their area to operate till their demand for higher payment is met. Mills on their part have said they are not in a position to accede to these demands.

On Wednesday, cooperation minister Dilip Walse Patil is to chair a meeting of protesting farmers, sugar millers and the sugar commissioner. Shetti, while speaking to The Indian Express said Jalinder Patil of the union would be joining the meeting in Mumbai, while he himself will join it online. “I got the message late so I won’t be able to travel at such short notice,” he said.