The indefinite strike announced by sugarcane farmers in the southern Indian state of Karnataka entered its seventh day on Wednesday (November 5), with the movement gaining unprecedented public backing. Thousands of farmers from Belagavi, Bagalkot, and surrounding districts are demanding a fair price of ₹3,500 per tonne.
The demand for ₹3,500 per tonne is not merely symbolic — it reflects the widening gap between what it costs farmers to grow sugarcane and what they are paid. Farmers in northern Karnataka face several disadvantages: high irrigation costs, erratic monsoons, smaller mills, and outdated crushing technology. Many mills are politically connected, with ownership concentrated among industrial and political elites — a situation that raises conflicts of interest and weakens enforcement of farmer protections. The “monopsony effect,” where a few dominant buyers control purchases, further suppresses prices. Farmers often have no choice but to sell to nearby mills, leaving them with little bargaining power when payments are delayed or weights are disputed.
The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), the state’s largest farmers’ federation, views the crisis as the result of deep structural injustice: those who grow the crop have little control over how it is priced or sold. They argue that sugarcane farmers bear all the risks, while politically connected mill owners and industrial houses capture most of the profits.
The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) set by the government ignores the real cost of cultivation, which has soared due to fuel, fertilizer, and labour costs. States can fix a higher State Advisory Price (SAP), but that hasn’t happened here — which has once again forced farmers onto the streets in protest.says Chukki Nanjundaswamy of KRRS.
She also pointed out that mills profit from by-products such as ethanol, molasses, and power generation without sharing that revenue transparently with farmers.
Global factors have also intensified the crisis. Sugarcane economics are sensitive to fertilizer and energy price inflation, changing monsoon patterns, and global sugar and biofuel market fluctuations — all factors beyond farmers’ control.
Public Support for the Farmers’ Protest
The protest site has evolved into a hub of solidarity, drawing support from across society. Local communities have stepped up to sustain the agitation: sponsors are providing groceries and vegetables, a local trader organized Sunday’s meals, and another contributed floor mats for protesters. In a show of unity, supporters from Belagavi and Bagalkot districts collectively sent over 300,000 rotis to the site.
Similar demonstrations have spread across other parts of the state — including Gokak, Hukkeri, Belagavi, Chikkodi, and Raibag taluks — in solidarity with the main protest at Mudalagi.
Traffic disruptions along the state highway have added pressure on the government. Upset with the government’s lackluster response so far, farmers have announced that they will block the national highway on November 7th.
Senior officials have met with the protesting farmers, urging them to withdraw the strike and promising talks between sugar factory managements and farmer representatives.
Key Demands
The farmers’ key demands include a minimum payment of ₹3,500 per tonne (plus transport and cutting costs), scientific weighing of produce, faster crushing schedules, and transparent accounting of sugar yields.
They note that mills in neighbouring Maharashtra reportedly offer ₹3,400–₹3,500 per tonne, while many in Karnataka still pay around ₹2,900. According to Deccan Herald, the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association attributes this difference to Maharashtra’s cooperative model, unlike Karnataka, where mills are largely privately owned by politicians.
Farmer unions have called for the nationalization of sugar factories, arguing that public ownership could end the monopoly of private mills, ensure timely payments, and restore accountability in a sector long dominated by political and corporate interests.
Farmers have also criticized mainstream media for largely ignoring their protest and accused successive governments of betraying sugarcane growers. The KRRS has warned that continued government inaction could lead to wider unrest and even factory shutdowns until fair cane prices are implemented.
With growing public support, the state government and sugar mills now face mounting pressure to resolve the crisis before the agitation escalates further.
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On the 6th of November, the Chief Minister of Karnataka made an appeal to the Union Government of India, seeking its urgent action and intervention in the matter. The office of the Chief Minister of Karnataka explains that although the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane for 2025–26 has been fixed by the Union Government at ₹355 per quintal (₹3,550 per tonne) for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%, farmers effectively receive only ₹2,600–₹3,000 per tonne after deducting harvesting and transport charges.
The recovery rate—the percentage of sugar extracted from cane—directly determines how much mills pay farmers. Regions with lower recovery rates thus receive lower returns, even though their production costs remain the same. With steep increases in fertilizer, labour, irrigation, and fuel costs, this pricing formula has rendered sugarcane cultivation economically unviable.
The Chief Minister – in his letter – identifies deeper structural issues in national policy as the root causes: the rigid FRP mechanism, the stagnant Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export restrictions, and the under-utilised ethanol offtake from sugar-based feedstock. Ethanol offtake refers to the ethanol purchased by oil companies for blending with petrol. When procurement is low, sugar mills cannot effectively divert excess cane or sugar toward ethanol production, leading to unsold stocks, cash flow shortages, and delayed farmer payments – as indicated by the letter.
A higher MSP for sugar, which also finds a mention in the Chief Minister’s appeal, would allow mills to sell their sugar at a better price in the domestic market, improving their revenue. Thus, with stronger cash flow, mills can pay farmers promptly and at fairer rates. It also restores a price balance in the entire sugar value chain — linking what consumers pay for sugar with what farmers receive for cane.
To resolve the crisis, Karnataka has urged the Union Government to allow states to fix or endorse net cane prices after deductions, revise the sugar MSP above ₹31/kg, recalibrate the FRP formula, open export windows to ease stockpiles, expand ethanol procurement, and strengthen payment enforcement — measures essential for stabilising farmers’ livelihoods and the sugar industry alike.
Update: The nine-day protest by sugarcane growers ended on Friday (07 November) with the State Government announcing further price support. After meetings with factories and farmers in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister has announced that farmers will get ₹3,300 per tonne of sugarcane, which includes ₹3,250 by factories and ₹50 contributed by the State government.
Information Source: KRRS