Karnataka

Cane growers in Hospet to sell produce to factory in Bagalkot

Hospet (Bellary Dist): The cane growers in and around Hospet taluk have decided not to supply cane to the Hospet-based ISR Sugar factory. Instead, they will supply the produce to another factory in Bagalkot district, which has promised them a better price for their produce.

ISR Sugar Factory management has described the reported decision of the Hospet Taluk Raitha Sangha to supply cane to another factory as “unfair”. ISR Sugar Factory has offered Rs. 1,100 per tonne of cane brought to its gate while the Sadashiva Sugar Factory near Almatti in Bagalkot district has assured to give Rs. 1,000 per tonne besides bearing the cost of harvesting and transportation.

“Supplying cane to Sadashiva Sugar Factory is more profitable to us as the harvesting and transportation cost will be borne by the company. If we supply cane to the ISR Sugar Factory in Hospet at Rs. 1,100 per tonne, we will be left with less than Rs. 600 to Rs. 700 per tonne for we ourselves will have to bear the cost of harvesting and transportation, which comes to around Rs. 350 per tonne. Besides this, Sadashiva Sugar Factory has offered to pay extra Rs. 50 per tonne to the cane growers for bringing the harvested cane from the interior fields to the transportation point”, Khichidi Lakshman, president of the Raitha Sangha told The Hindu here on Tuesday.

Mr. Lakshman informed that after preliminary round of talks with the Sadashiva Sugar Factory, the Raitha Sangha has unanimously decided to supply cane to that factory and the process of entering into an agreement had already begun. “In fact, the first ten lorries of cane had been harvested and transported on Tuesday and from Wednesday, the factory will be sending 100 lorries to lift the cane”, he said.

Mr. Lakshman said that when the farmers were waiting for the ISR Sugar Factory to fix the cane price, the management had sent letters stating the price they were ready to offer. After that, the farmers had met the Ministers, Vijayanagar MLA and the Deputy Commissioner to intervene in the matter and see that cane price was fixed at Rs. 1,400 per tonne. But the factory management did not concede their demand. “Meanwhile, Sadashiva Sugar Factory came forward with a better price for the cane,” he added.

Ghosula Bharmappa, treasurer of the Raitha Sangha, said that last year, cane was cultivated on 12,000 acres of land and this year it was cultivated only on 6,000 acres of land.

Total production of cane this year was around 1.75 lakh tonnes. “Payment from ISR Sugar Factory was never on time and as at present the factory owes Rs. 6 crore to farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, A.G. Phaneesha, in-charge of operations and sales in ISR Sugar Factory, said that they came to know about the cane growers’ decision only on Tuesday and that they would approach the Deputy Commissioner and the Sugar Directorate on the issue and ask them to intervene.

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