Date:05/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/05/stories/2007040512290400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Concern over plight of cane growers

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Members in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday expressed concern over the plight of sugarcane growers due to falling prices, the exploitation by sugar factories, particularly by the private ones, and the Government's apathy. They cautioned that the situation might force them to also resort to suicide.

Shivananda Patil, A. Krishnappa, Prakash Hukkeri and A.B. Patil (all Congress), Vyjanath Patil and B.R. Patil (suspended JD-S members) and Raju Kage (BJP) demanded that the Government rush to the rescue of the growers, if it had any concern for their lives. Mr. B.R. Patil said that there was a glut of over 40 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in north Karnataka and the farmers did not have the facility to even burn it.

He charged the Government with not implementing its directive to the private factories to make payment within 15 days and extend the crushing operations till May-end.

They said farmers were paid Rs. 700 per tonne for cane whereas Maharashtra was giving Rs. 1,065, including transportation charges. Mr. A.B. Patil and Mr. Kage demanded an enquiry into the manner in which the private sugar factory owners were defrauding the farmers. They were mentioning less quantity of the produce brought for crushing in the bill book and paying less and were refusing to buy sugarcane, if anybody protested against it.

Mr. Vyjanath Patil said that several industries were utilising the byproducts such as molasses and ethanol, but the benefits were not shared with the farmers.