Centre to form joint panel on sugarcane growers’ issues; Joshi calls Delhi meeting successful

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister, Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said the Centre would soon constitute a joint committee to address the issues faced by sugarcane growers, asserting that the recent meeting with farmers from Karnataka and Maharashtra was successful and that there was no need for them to resort to road blockades.

Joshi said the Centre, for the first time, had invited sugarcane growers to Delhi to hear their grievances and held detailed discussions with them.

He urged farmers not to resort to protests, stating that the Narendra Modi-led government was committed to protecting their interests and would take positive steps to resolve their concerns.

Speaking to the media in Delhi, Joshi said the Centre was committed to resolving the problems of sugarcane growers in consultation with state governments, irrespective of political affiliations.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Joshi, along with senior officials, representatives of state governments and farmer leaders, held extensive discussions lasting three to four hours on the issues faced by sugarcane growers.

“The issues of sugarcane growers cannot be resolved in a day or two or by one or two ministries alone. They require the coordinated efforts of several ministries and the participation of state governments. The government will soon have good news for sugarcane growers. Therefore, there is no need for anyone to resort to road blockades,” Joshi said.

He said the Centre had decided to constitute a joint committee comprising sugarcane growers, agricultural scientists and representatives of the Central and state governments. The committee would study the problems faced by farmers and recommend measures for their long-term resolution.

Rejecting claims that the meeting in Delhi had failed, Joshi said the discussions with farmer leaders from Karnataka and Maharashtra had been constructive and fruitful.

He said farmer leader Raju Shetti had also agreed to the Centre's decision to form a joint committee to study the issues and work towards permanent solutions. Representatives and office-bearers of three to four farmer organisations who attended the meeting had also offered suggestions, which were taken into consideration, he added.

During the meeting, the participants held detailed discussions on several concerns raised by sugarcane growers, including the allegedly inadequate Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), the demand for a Minimum Support Price (MSP), discrepancies in the weighing of sugarcane, the nine per cent wastage deduction imposed by sugar mills after harvesting, and separate pricing for commercial purposes.

The meeting was attended by Chouhan, Joshi, departmental secretaries, three ministers from the state governments concerned and farmer representatives.

Joshi said the Karnataka government had been urged to introduce a State Advised Price (SAP) for sugarcane to safeguard farmers' interests.

He pointed out that Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh had already implemented SAP and said Karnataka should consider a similar measure to ensure better returns for sugarcane growers.

The Centre also urged the state government to take strict action against sugar mills over issues relating to sugar recovery rates, the nine per cent wastage deduction and discrepancies in weighing sugarcane, he said.

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