Pune-Bengaluru highway blocked by sugarcane farmers demanding better prices, resignation of Union Minister

Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka began a protest for higher prices by blocking the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway at Hirebagevadi and Hattaragi in Belagavi district on Tuesday. 

Their demands include revising Minimum Support Price for sugar to ₹60 per kg, increasing Fair and Remunerative Price to ₹5,500 per tonne of sugarcane, transparency in weighing and recovery assessment in factories, increased buying of ethanol produced in Karnataka from sugarcane and maize, and differential pricing of sugar for domestic and industrial consumers. 

Their other demands include a law that mandates public, co-operative, and private sugar factories treating farmers as shareholders, and sharing profits obtained by factories by selling sugar, molasses, ethanol, co-generated power, oxygen, bio-fertiliser, press mud, and other by-products, government supervised establishment and monitoring of computerised weighing scales, and a statewide sugarcane  cutting and transport calendar, enforced by the district administration. 

Groups of farmers walked for kilometres, stopping all the vehicles one behind the other. All heavy vehicles were stopped. Two-wheelers and cars that claimed emergencies, were allowed to use the service roads. 

Farmers slept on the road and shouted slogans against the Union Government. They said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi did not have the interests of farmers in mind while framing policies. They demanded the resignation of Mr. Joshi, saying that he had insulted farmer leaders by inviting them to New Delhi for a meeting, and failing to listen to their grievances. 

Some farmers performed ‘Urulu Seve’ by rolling on the road. Some carried whips and brooms, and shouted slogans in favour of the unity of farmers and against the Union Government. 

Farmers have set up a protest tent beside the highway, where those traveling from far-off places are gathering. They are being served water, tea, and rotti-bhaji in the tent. They have parked bullock carts and tractors at the toll plaza

Police deployment at the toll plazas at the two places has been increased.