Sugarcane farmers’ agitation intensifies across North Karnataka
Sugarcane Farmers: The ongoing agitation by sugarcane growers demanding a price of Rs 3,500 per tonne has spread beyond Belagavi’s Gurlapur to other parts of North Karnataka, including Bagalkot and Kalaburagi districts.
The protest, which entered a more aggressive phase on Thursday, saw spontaneous participation from students, traders, and various organizations. Farmers in Mudalagi observed a complete shutdown in solidarity.
When Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil visited Gurlapur to hold talks, protestors shouted slogans and initially refused to let him speak. Farmer leaders intervened, allowing him to appeal for a two-day pause in the highway blockade.
“We are not politicising the issue. Give us two days to hold discussions,” Patil urged. Farmers, however, warned that no further extensions would be tolerated, saying, “After two days, if the government fails to respond, the situation will not remain calm.”
As the minister’s convoy departed, a slipper was hurled from the crowd, landing on his car — a sign of rising frustration among the demonstrators.
In Bagalkot’s Jamkhandi, Lokapur, Katarki, Kamadgi, and Bilagi taluks, farmers blocked roads and raised slogans against both the state and central governments, demanding that sugar mills begin operations immediately with fair pricing. Similar scenes were reported in Afzalpur, Kalaburagi district, where morning protests at Basaveshwar Circle disrupted vehicular traffic for hours.
The widespread protests underscore growing rural anger over the Congress government’s failure to address pricing issues despite repeated promises. Farmer leaders have vowed to continue the agitation until their demands are met.
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