“We Are Not Beggars”: Haliyal Sugarcane Farmers Continue Protest for Fair Prices
Farmers reject factory’s ₹3,120 per ton offer, demand ₹4,000 and accuse management of unfair deductions and exploitation.
Haliyal (Uttara Kannada): The sugarcane farmers’ protest in Haliyal entered its second day on Friday as hundreds of cultivators gathered outside the Taluk Administration Office, demanding fair prices for their 2025–26 sugarcane crop and resolution of long-pending payment issues.
The protest began on Thursday when the Tahsildar facilitated talks between farmers and representatives of the local sugar factory. However, discussions failed to yield results. A second meeting on Friday evening, mediated by Tahsildar Firozsha Somankatti, also ended in deadlock after the factory announced only a marginal ₹20 increase per ton setting the price at ₹3,120. The farmers immediately rejected the offer, calling it an insult.
“We are not beggars,” said Nagendra Jivoji, president of the Sugarcane Farmers’ Protection Committee. He accused the factory of exploiting farmers by deducting harvesting and transportation (H&T) costs, leading to pending payments worth ₹26 crore about ₹256 per ton. Jivoji said the factory had even obtained a court injunction against the Sugar Commissioner’s order to release dues, but farmers were ready for a legal battle.
He asserted that the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) was a legal right of farmers, not a favor. “The factory must pay ₹4,000 per ton. If they agree, farmers will deliver cane directly to the factory gates,” he said, demanding that factory-run harvesting gangs be withdrawn.
Chunappa Pujari, state president of the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association (Asura Sena), said the cost of cultivation had nearly doubled, yet profits from by-products like molasses and ethanol — which should benefit farmers were being withheld. He alleged that factories inflated H&T costs to confuse and exploit cultivators.
Adding to the criticism, Sandeepkumar Bobati, district president of the Sugarcane Farmers’ Association, called the factory’s ₹13 increase in H&T charges compared to last year “gross injustice.” He accused the factory of dividing farmers and perpetuating a system of exploitation. “This factory has become a curse to Haliyal and to Karnataka. Farmers are not beggars, but these policies are trying to make them one,” Bobati said.
As the standoff continues, the farmers remain firm in their demand for transparency and a fair price of ₹4,000 per ton. Talks are expected to continue, but the protest shows no signs of slowing down until their demands are met.
