Sugarcane farmers protest in Belagavi ends

Sugarcane farmers take part in a padayatra as part of the Jail Bharo agitation near Hattargi village on Wednesday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The week-long protest by sugarcane growers ended after a meeting between factory owners and farmers in Belagavi on Wednesday evening.

The farmers agreed to the factories’ offer to pay ₹3,600 per tonne of sugarcane. This is about ₹50 more than last year’s price.

29 sugar mills in Belagavi district are expected to start crushing operations from Thursday.

“This price is limited to mills in Belagavi district. This is due to the fact that mills have agreed to pay more if the Union government revises sugar or sugarcane prices,” district minister and sugar mill owner Satish Jarkiholi said after the meeting.

He said the benefits and challenges faced by farmers who grow rain-fed sugarcane and have irrigated fields are varied.

“However, all types of farmers were present in the meeting and we managed to reach a common understanding,” he said.

“Farmers also have some other demands. This is only a temporary solution to a multi-dimensional problem. Issues like revision of minimum selling price of sugar and fair and remunerative price of sugarcane are for the Union government to decide. On our part, we have tried to get both sides to talk and agree on prices,” he said.

To a question, he said that there is a possibility for the state to review the sugarcane price notified by the state after a year.

He also said that the financial conditions of private, government and cooperative factories are different and sugarcane supply farmers need to understand this fact.

Published – 04 Nov 2026 22:13 IST