Belagavi: Escalating their agitation over sugarcane prices, farmers Thursday gave govt and sugar factories 24 hours to meet demands, warning they would block the Pune-Bengaluru national highway (NH-48) again from Saturday. They also threatened a Karnataka bandh.The ultimatum came after a two-day deadline sought by chief minister DK Shivakumar expired without a breakthrough. A meeting between the CM, farmer representatives and sugar factory owners in Belagavi Monday failed to resolve the deadlock, with no decision announced by Thursday evening.Thousands of farmers have been staging day-night protests at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk for over a week under the banner of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and Hasiru Sene (KRRS & HS). They are demanding that sugar factories pay Rs 4,500 per tonne of cane, with the state providing an additional support price of Rs 1,000 per tonne.KRRS & HS president Chunappa Pujeri and honorary president Shashikant Padasalagi said protests would be withdrawn if both demands are met.Pujeri said Shivakumar and Union minister Pralhad Joshi must take responsibility to resolve the issue, warning that the delayed commencement of the crushing season was causing losses to growers. He urged the Centre to fix a minimum support price of Rs 60 per kg for sugar, establish a separate pricing mechanism for commercially sold sugar and ensure procurement of the entire ethanol output from sugar factories.He also criticised a committee set up to study sugar MSP for allegedly failing to visit Belagavi, despite an assurance that it would meet North Karnataka growers. Padasalagi said factories had paid Rs 3,300 per tonne when sugar sold at around Rs 34 per kg. With prices now at Rs 50 to Rs 55 per kg, he questioned why farmers should not receive a higher cane price.He warned that the agitation could intensify beyond the control of farmer leaders if no decision was announced by Friday evening.
