Farmers block highway at Nagthane in Satara demanding Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane

Farmers staged a chakka jam (road blockade) on the national highway at Nagthane in Satara district. The main demand is a price of Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane. The agitation was organised by the Shetkari Sanghatana and the Kisan Congress wing.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan joined the protest himself. He told the farmers present that their demands were just. He said he would speak to the Chief Minister and the Union ministers concerned and try to find a solution.

Speaking at the site, Chavan said, "Farmers must get a fair price for their sugarcane in keeping with the cost of production. The demand of Rs 4,500 per tonne that the farmers have made needs to be taken seriously, considering their hard work and the increased cost of production. I will try to find a positive solution by speaking to the Chief Minister and the Union ministers concerned in the Central government on the farmers' demands."

The backdrop to the agitation is the steadily rising cost of growing sugarcane. Spending on labour, fertiliser, pesticides, irrigation, harvesting and transport has gone up, deepening the farmers' financial distress. For this reason, a fair and remunerative price for sugarcane has become a matter of survival for farmers. Against this background, the Shetkari Sanghatana and the Kisan Congress wing announced the chakka jam, putting forward the demand of Rs 4,500 per tonne.

During the protest, Chavan spoke to the farmers present and listened to their various demands and difficulties. He said the government should take an immediate decision on the farmers' issues. Chavan also assured them that he would press their demands at the government level.

The blockade affected traffic on the national highway at Nagthane. A heavy police deployment was stationed at the spot to maintain law and order.

Many people took part in the agitation. They included Raju Shelke of the Shetkari Sanghatana, Kisan Congress working president Wasim Inamdar, Youth Congress Man taluka president Mahesh Karche and Vikas Patil-Shirgaonkar, along with Kisan Congress office-bearers, Shetkari Sanghatana workers and a large number of farmers. The protesters resolved that the fight would continue until sugarcane gets a price of Rs 4,500.