Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said a final decision on the price payable to sugarcane growers is expected within two days, following discussions between farmers and sugar factory owners.
The decision will be taken after the Centre fixes the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar. Representatives of both farmers and factories are expected to announce their final positions within the stipulated period.
Five rounds of meetings were held at Suvarna Soudha and the Circuit House in Belagavi, involving sugarcane growers, factory owners and 70 legislators, including nine ministers. Representatives from 79 of the state’s 80 sugar factories participated in the discussions.
Shivakumar said the talks focused on determining the price payable to farmers after the Centre announces the sugar MSP. Factory owners had agreed to the proposal, while farmers had sought two days to discuss the matter among themselves. He added that farmers had also held discussions with a Union minister and received assurances.
“Farmers must survive, and factories must also survive. The lives of farmers are of paramount importance to the government,” Shivakumar said, expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved amicably.
He said the state government would continue discussions with the Centre and support efforts to protect farmers’ interests. The chief minister reiterated that the government remained committed to finding a solution that safeguards both sugarcane growers and the sugar industry.
“We cannot exist without the farmers, and the farmers cannot exist without us,” he said.