Maharashtra cane growers seek uniform state price, Rs 2 lakh aid for farmers who repay loans on time

Sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra have demanded that the state government ensure a uniform price for cane across the state. They have also asked that farmers who repay their loans regularly be given financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh. An enhanced assistance package for drought-hit areas has also been sought.

A delegation of farmers led by Rajiv Kasbe, state president of the Krantikari Shetkari Sanghatana, met the state's Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil at Ahmedpur on Monday and submitted a memorandum of their demands.

The farmers said cane is fetching Rs 4,200 a tonne in western Maharashtra, while farmers in Marathwada and other parts of the state do not get this price. They asked why different prices are being paid when cane is grown across the state.

The farmer leaders argued that the earnings of sugar mills should also be considered when fixing the cane price. Besides sugar, the mills make large profits from products such as molasses, bagasse and ethanol, they said, and farmers should get a fair share of those profits.

The delegation demanded Rs 2 lakh in financial assistance as an incentive for farmers who repay loans on time. It also said drought-hit farmers should receive Rs 1 lakh per hectare, and sought a special financial package of Rs 1 lakh for farm labour families.

Besides delivery of water and fodder to drought-hit areas, the farmers raised several other demands. They said these areas should have a permanent arrangement for drinking water for people and livestock, and that livestock keepers should get fodder for their animals at home. They also asked that a fair cane price be ensured at all sugar mills in the state.

On microfinance companies, the farmers demanded a curb on their arbitrary interest rates. They asked for stringent laws against companies that harass farmers during loan recovery, saying laws like those in Karnataka, only stricter, should be enacted here to control microfinance companies.

Mr Kasbe said farmers should get a fair price for cane, drought-hit families should be given substantial assistance, and farmers who take loans should be protected from harassment. He said the organisation would continue its agitation and its talks with the government until the farmers' demands are properly acted upon.