Belagavi: Chief minister DK Shivakumar on Monday told sugarcane farmers his govt cannot announce financial assistance due to lack of adequate funds after hundreds of agitating farmers from Haveri, Dharwad and neighbouring districts laid siege to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha and briefly blocked Pune-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48) demanding a minimum price of Rs 5,500 per tonne of sugarcane and a state advisory price (SAP) of Rs 1,000.Shivakumar urged them to be patient and assured them that the govt will work towards a permanent solution to the long-pending sugarcane pricing issue. Chairing a series of meetings with sugar factory owners and farmers at SVS, Shivakumar categorically denied any immediate announcement on behalf of govt on sugarcane pricing.He said the govt was facing financial constraints and could not make commitments that it would be unable to fulfil later.“If money is not available, how can the govt pay? This is not my personal money. The govt can spend only what is available in its accounts,” he said.Referring to financial pressures including liabilities running into thousands of crores and the impact of drought on power generation and revenues, Shivakumar acknowledged the hardships faced by sugarcane growers and noted that sugar prices had not witnessed significant growth over the past decade.He said govt had already intervened with sugar factories to ensure payments to farmers, though reports suggested that dues were still pending in some areas.He added that any decision on sugar pricing and related policies would have implications for sugar-producing states across the country and not just in Karnataka.He said a committee constituted by the Centre was expected to visit on Oct 29 and would hold discussions with both govt and farmers.The CM said he had personally raised farmers’ concerns with Union govt and held discussions with the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Telangana.He stressed the need for coordinated efforts among sugar-producing states, including Uttar Pradesh, to build pressure on the Centre for a favourable policy decision.Earlier, high drama unfolded both inside and outside Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) Monday ahead of Shivakumar’s meeting with sugarcane growers and sugar factory representatives on cane pricing.Shivakumar met with sugar mill owners inside SVS, and preparations were under way for discussions with farmer representatives when a confrontation broke out between supporters of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene president Chunappa Pujeri and former organisation president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar.The verbal altercation soon escalated into a physical scuffle, with members of both groups pushing and shoving each other inside Central Hall of the legislature complex. Police intervened and escorted two members of the Kodihalli faction out of the venue to prevent the situation from worsening.Pujeri later downplayed the incident but told reporters that some groups “were attempting to create confusion” during a crucial meeting.“We came here to ensure farmers secure a fair price for sugarcane. Some elements may have tried to create unnecessary chaos, but we are focused on our demand of Rs 5,500 per tonne of sugarcane,” Pujeri said.
