Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti
Shetti has been demanding payment of Rs5,000 per tonne of sugar cane, which, he said, would be feasible only if the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar was raised to Rs50 per kg and the ethanol procurement price was fixed at Rs70 per litre. Shetti led an agitation by blocking the Mumbai-Bangalore national highway for 31 hours on Wednesday. The factories are run by members of both BJP and Congress.
Pune/Kolhapur: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti on Thursday intensified his agitation for higher sugar and ethanol prices, urging cooperative sugar factories to suspend cane crushing operations, while National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories’ president Harshvardhan Patil opposed his stand. The farmers’ activist intensified his agitation on Thursday when he visited cooperative sugar mills — Krishna in Karad, Kranti in Kundal, Sonhira in Kadegaon and Hutatma near Ashta — and led protests outside their gates.
Earlier reporting noted: After ending a 31-hour blockade on the national highway, Shetti visited cooperative sugar mills — Krishna in Karad, Kranti in Kundal, Sonhira in Kadegaon, and Hutatma near Ashta — and led protests outside their gates. Earlier reporting noted: Shetti has demanded a sugar cane price of Rs 5,000 per tonne, which, he said, would be feasible only if the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar was raised to Rs 50 per kg and ethanol procurement prices were fixed at Rs 70 per litre. Because of lack of water, he said, “The state is facing serious drought conditions and the standing sugar cane crop in the farm is withering.
Addressing mill authorities, Shetti said sugar factories had begun crushing under govt pressure despite knowing that processing immature cane caused losses to both farmers and mills. We want the mills to keep crushing suspended until a decision is made,” Shetti said. Mill officials said cane cutters from drought-hit Marathwada had already arrived for the season and would be adversely affected if harvesting and crushing were halted. NFCSF president and senior Congress member Patil said while he supported Shetti’s demands, he was not in favour of delaying the crushing season.
“The mills did not speak up when the government kept the sugar MSP unchanged. If it is not harvested and given to factories for crushing, farmers will face losses. The factories are run by members of both BJP and Congress.
Shetti said harvested cane could still be brought to factories to avoid losses for farmers, but maintained that crushing operations should stop at midnight on Thursday. Earlier reporting noted: Kolhapur : Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti on Thursday intensified his agitation for higher sugar and ethanol prices, urging cooperative sugar factories to suspend cane crushing operations until Centre decided on key demands raised by farmers.