Talks with Prithviraj Chavan fail, Maharashtra cane farmers to continue agitation

PUNE: Farmers' organisations in top sugar producer Maharashtra have decided to continue with their agitations over fixing of cane price as the meeting between Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan with leaders of farmers' organisations remained inconclusive on Saturday.

""We have decided to continue with our agitations as there was no decision about the cane price. An all party delegation from Maharashtra will meet Prime Minister on Tuesday to talk about the demands of the sugar industry,"" said Shetty, while speaking to ET over phone from Mumbai.

The agitating farmers organisations have demanded first advance of cane payment of Rs 3000/tonne, while the sugar industry says that it will be tough to pay even the mandatory fair and remunerative price (FRP) due to lower realisations from sugar.

The state government, which used to play an active role in deciding cane price till two years ago, has stopped doing so from last year. This year too, the state government has maintained the same stand.

However, the sugar industry has demanded sops like export subsidy, creation of buffer stock of sugar, raising the import duty and interest-free loans to sugar mills. Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana has supported these demands of the sugar industry. ""Though we have supported the sugar industry in its demands, we will fight for higher cane price, irrespective of what the industry gets from the government,"" said Shetty.

Though, crushing has started in other parts of the state, sugar mills from Kolhapur-Sangli region have not been able to begin operations as this year, Shetty has based his agitation in Sangli-Kolhapur.