Karnataka Bandh Today: Sugarcane Farmers Intensify Protest Over Price Dispute; Demand ₹5,500 Per Tonne

The bandh call has been led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leaders, including Chunappa Pujeri and Shashikant Guruji. The farmers have appealed to traders, transport operators, students, advocates, workers and other organisations to extend their support, irrespective of political affiliations.

Why Are Sugarcane Farmers Protesting?

The main reason behind the agitation is the disagreement over the price paid to sugarcane growers for the 2026–27 crushing season.

Farmer organisations are demanding a total payment of ₹5,500 per tonne of sugarcane. Their proposed price structure includes:

- ₹4,500 per tonne from sugar factories.

- An additional ₹1,000 per tonne as financial support from the Karnataka government.

Farmers argue that the existing price structure does not adequately cover increasing cultivation expenses, including fertilisers, labour, irrigation, harvesting and transportation.

They also point out that sugarcane cultivation involves considerable financial investment and that farmers should receive a reasonable return for their hard work.

Protests Spread Across North Karnataka

The agitation has been particularly strong in Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Dharwad, Haveri, Kalburgi and other sugarcane-growing regions.

Farmers have organised demonstrations, road blockades and continuous protests to press their demands.

Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk of Belagavi district has emerged as one of the major centres of the agitation, where farmers have been staging prolonged protests.

The protesters had also planned to block the Pune–Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48). However, the district administration imposed restrictions on the proposed gathering at Hattargi toll plaza.

Following the restrictions and the absence of a satisfactory agreement, farmer leaders announced the statewide bandh.

What Is the Karnataka Government Saying?

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar held discussions with sugarcane farmers' representatives and sugar factory owners at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on October 26.

However, the meeting ended without a final agreement on the farmers' demand for an additional ₹1,000 per tonne from the state government.

The Chief Minister explained that Karnataka was facing financial constraints and serious drought-related challenges. He indicated that the issue required discussions involving the Union government, sugar factories and farmer representatives.

The government has also been examining the possibility of finding a mutually acceptable arrangement.

However, farmers have expressed dissatisfaction with repeated meetings and assurances, insisting that they need a clear decision rather than further promises.

What Are the Farmers Demanding Beyond ₹5,500?

Apart from the immediate sugarcane price demand, farmer organisations have raised several other issues concerning the sugar industry.

1. Increase in minimum sugar selling price

Farmers want the Union government to increase the minimum selling price of sugar to ₹60 per kilogram, arguing that better sugar realisations would improve the financial position of factories and help them pay growers.

2. Fair sugarcane weighing

Farmers have alleged that some sugar factories make unfair deductions during weighing, including deductions for mud, moss and other material. They want transparent weighing procedures and protection against arbitrary deductions.

3. Better ethanol procurement policy

Farmer organisations want the Centre to ensure greater procurement of ethanol produced by sugar factories, helping improve the industry's financial position.

4. Implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations

The protesters are demanding the implementation of recommendations aimed at improving farmers' income and ensuring remunerative agricultural prices.

5. Timely payment

Farmers also want sugar factories to clear their payments without unnecessary delays and ensure transparency in the calculation of sugar recovery rates.

Political Significance: A Challenge for the Karnataka Government

The sugarcane pricing dispute has developed into an important political challenge for the Congress-led Karnataka government.

Opposition parties may use the farmers' dissatisfaction to question the government's agricultural policies and its handling of rural economic issues.

At the same time, the ruling government faces the responsibility of balancing farmers' interests with the financial conditions of sugar factories and the state's budgetary position.

Conclusion: Farmers Demand Action, Not More Assurances

The Karnataka bandh on October 31 reflects the growing frustration among sugarcane farmers over the unresolved pricing dispute.

Their demand for ₹5,500 per tonne, including ₹1,000 in additional state support, has become the central issue in negotiations with the government and sugar factories.

While the government has cited financial difficulties and the need for further discussions, farmers insist that their demands must be addressed without further delay.