Satara cane farmers' highway blockade continues, Swabhimani says no retreat below Rs 4,500 a tonne

Farmers in Satara have taken to the road over sugarcane prices. They blocked the highway, traffic came to a halt, and the administration was finally forced to come forward for talks. However, the meeting at the Collector's office produced no concrete decision for the farmers. They received only assurances. The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has therefore flatly refused to withdraw its agitation. The organisation says the fight on the highway will continue until a firm resolution on the price is reached.

The farmers are demanding Rs 4,500 per tonne for sugarcane and Rs 70 per litre for ethanol. A roadblock agitation on the Pune-Bengaluru highway has been going on for the past three days over this demand. The protesters angrily asked why Maharashtra's farmers alone are being treated unjustly when cane fetches a higher price in Karnataka and Gujarat. They also asked why public representatives, who spoke of standing with farmers at election time, are not now taking a firm decision on the price.

At the meeting at the Collector's office, Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai acknowledged that the stand of the farmers' organisations is correct. He said the power to raise the minimum selling price of sugar to Rs 5,000 lies with the Central government, so the decision has to be taken by the Centre. He also directed the sugar mills to display on their notice boards on Friday how much above the FRP they will pay. Citing the Diwali festival, Desai also appealed for the agitation to be postponed. The protesters said an appeal alone would not resolve the matter.

Minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale presented figures on the mills' financial condition, the market price of sugar, banks' loan recovery and the cost of production. MP Nitin Patil also said the minimum selling price of sugar needs to be raised. Representatives of the mill owners listed their financial difficulties. The meeting, however, gave no answer on what would happen to the farmers' cost of production and their debt burden.

Instead of giving a firm figure, the mill owners cited the financial situation. This has kept the farmers' organisations angry. The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana says the agitation will not be withdrawn without a written announcement of a price above the FRP and its actual implementation. Though rounds of talks may be under way, the highway agitation does not appear to be ending. Farmers are now watching to see when the administration and the mill owners take concrete steps.

Those present at the meeting were Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai, Minister Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale, MP Nitin Patil, MLA Dhairyasheel Kadam, Collector Santosh Patil, Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingle, representatives of the mill owners and office-bearers of various farmers' organisations.