Karnataka - Bidar   

Problem of plenty worries sugarcane farmers

Staff Correspondent

`The Government should ensure remunerative prices for the produce'

Bidar: Bidar farmers have grown more sugarcane than what the factories can crush. Added to this is the problem of low 0prices in the international market.

The situation seems as pathetic as in 1994 when many had to burn the crop in their fields.

The situation was worse now, said Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha secretary Veerbhushan Nandgave.

"In 1994, there was only one sugar factory and the area under sugarcane was far less than now. Farmers produced around 8.5 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and the area under cultivation was 12,000 hectares of land. Now, we have three sugar factories, and we produce 23.25 lakh tonnes from 31,000 hectares of land. Even the productivity has gone up to 75 tonnes a hectare compared to 65 tonnes a hectare in 1994," he said.

Even jaggery making would not save us for the price was very low, said Pandit Biradar who had been growing sugarcane for over 10 years now.

Mr. Biradar said he would change the crop next year. The price of jaggery had gone down to Rs. 600 a quintal from Rs. 2,500 a quintal last year, he said.

"High-quality jaggery sells at Rs 800 per quintal. The problem is you need skilled labourers to make quality jaggery and they are not easily available," said Shanmukh Shambhu who makes jaggery in Bakchodi.

"We want the State Government to intervene and ensure remunerative prices for sugarcane," Mr. Nandagave said.

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