Raju Shetti, ministers Chouhan and Joshi at New Delhi on Monday
The farmer leaders wanted MSP to be increased to Rs 50 per kg, the ethanol procurement price to be increased to Rs 70 per kg and Rs 500 per ton for the loss farmers may incur due to early crushing. Shetti said all these demands were not met and therefore to bring govt to its knees, farmers will be blocking the national highway at Kognoli toll booth for an indefinite period. Kolhapur: Raju Shetti, president of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, has announced the blocking of Pune-Bengaluru National Highway at Kognoli Toll Booth from Tuesday onwards after a meeting of farmer representatives from Maharashtra and Karnataka with agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Union minister for food supplies Prahlad Joshi failed to reach an agreement over the price issue.
Shetti, after the meeting, said that the ministers showed a presentation on the Fair and Remunerative Price to be paid to the cane growers over the last decades. It has pushed mills into debt,” said Shetti. Shetti said that the highway will be blocked in Karad, Satara and Indapur. On behalf of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and the Green Brigade, major highways in the Hubballi, Gadag and Hattarki regions will be blocked indefinitely, said Shetti.
“The cost of fertilizer, other inputs, labour has gone up which the centre deliberately ignored. The sugar mills are not able to pay FRP since the minimum selling price of sugar has not increased since last eight years. Along with Western Maharashtra, national highways will also be blocked in Parbhani and Nanded districts of Marathwada.