Siddaramaiah assures relief, farmers stir off

Belgaum: A crucial meeting of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with leaders of sugarcane growers who were on an indefinite strike in front of Suvarna Soudha since November 25, succeeded in getting the agitation temporarily suspended till December 9.

After an hour-long meeting at Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum late on Monday night, the Chief Minister assured the cane growers that his government would try to get more incentives for them released from the Centre at the meeting of chief ministers of various states convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 7 in New Delhi to discuss the sugarcane crisis.

Soon after the meeting, president of Karnataka Rajya Ryot Sangh, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar told Deccan Chronicle that the ongoing agitation of cane growers has been suspended for now.

“The CM has said that he would be back from New Delhi after attending the meeting on December 8 and will meet sugarcane growers on December 9 to finally resolve the cane crisis in the state. If nothing happens at the meeting on December 9, we will take a decision to  continue our agitation,'' he said.

The chief minister discussed the reluctance of sugar factories in the state to pay the prices fixed by the government for sugarcane and said that he would highlight the problems faced by cane growers of Karnataka at the New Delhi meeting. “Following the assurance of the chief minister that the cane growers will  ultimately benefit, we have decided to withdraw the strike for now.

The CM said he would certainly try to get some incentives released for sugarcane growers of Karnataka from the Centre. We will wait for his decision until December 9,'' said Kodihalli Chandrashekhar.

The PM will be meeting the chief ministers of all sugarcane-rich states of the country in New Delhi on December 7 to give a boost to the crop, which is being produced in abundance in the country. But  growers continue to face a critical situation and losses.

The farmers leaders have clarified their stand to the government that they should be given at least Rs 500 as incentive on every tonne of sugarcane besides the Rs 2500 fixed by the government. Chandrashekhar said, “When sugar factories in Gujarat, UP, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra are paying more than Rs 3000 per tonne of cane, why is it not possible here?”

A well known leader of the sugar industry, former minister Umesh Katti  had reportedly said it is impossible to pay Rs 2,500 per tonne of cane.