'Act responsibly, hold talks with sugarcane farmers': Pralhad Joshi tells K'taka govt

Bengaluru, Nov 6 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Thursday urged the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka state government to act responsibly and hold negotiations with sugarcane farmers over their demands.

Speaking to the media at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru, he said: “The state government, some ministers, and the Chief Minister have been making statements about sugarcane pricing. The Central government fixes the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) before the beginning of each crushing season. We have now fixed the FRP at Rs 350 per quintal.”

He said that earlier, after the start of ethanol procurement, payments used to be delayed by three to four years.

“Now, 97.2 per cent of payments for the last sugar season have already been made. The state government must hold talks with factory owners and farmers to reach a fair settlement. They should not worsen the situation by issuing irresponsible statements,” he said.

The Union Minister further stated that sugar mill owners have requested permission for exports.

“We estimate around 15–20 lakh tonnes of surplus sugar, and we will allow the export of around 15 lakh tonnes,” he announced. “They have also sought permission to export molasses, which we have already approved,” he added.

“Farmers are demanding Rs 3,500 per tonne, while the Centre has fixed Rs 350 FRP and also allowed exports. The state government should resolve the legitimate concerns of farmers. The Chief Minister and ministers must intervene to settle the issue. Wasting time unnecessarily is not acceptable,” he stressed.

“It does not suit a state government to waste time through political statements,” Joshi remarked.

He continued: “Last time, ethanol blending was 35 lakh metric tonnes — around 20 per cent. Because of this, sugar mills have achieved significant stability. The government must negotiate and resolve the issue. It is undesirable to allow farmers to protest on the streets,” he said.

“When Karnataka ministers approached us earlier with issues, we resolved them. We raised the FRP from Rs 340 to Rs 350. Henceforth, not a single moment should be wasted -- do not let farmers sit on the streets,” he urged.

In response to a question, he said: “If the Chief Minister has called a meeting, that’s good. He should hold talks and resolve the problem,” he insisted.

Farmers in the north Karnataka region have been protesting for over a week, demanding that factories fix the purchase price of sugarcane at Rs 3,500 per tonne. The BJP state unit has extended support to the protests.

The farmers’ organisations have given a deadline till 7 p.m. on Thursday (Nov 6) to take a decision and warned that they will start blocking national highways from Friday (Nov 7).

--IANS

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