Campaigns do not impact these farmers

Belagavi: While political leaders are making tall promises about waiving farm loans and implementing schemes to benefit farmers, the farmers of Belagavi are faced with other problems like non-remunerative prices for farm produce, unreliable rainfall and electricity. The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and other organisations regularly protest against the government about these issues, but end up being neglected.

Often, the main reason for the problems and the ensuing protests of the farmers is low or delayed payment by sugarcane factories. Though most of the sugar factories are owned and managed by politicians, especially elected representatives, they are seldom held accountable for the dire state of the farmers. Farmers’ groups do not demand the politicians to fulfil their promises before seeking votes either.

Most of the candidates in the 18 constituencies in Belagavi district have either invested in the sugarcane factories or manage them. However, the efficiency of the factories or the question of whether remunerative prices have been paid to the farmers or not, does not seem to be an issue in the polls. Farmers say that this is because factors like caste have more influence than shared interests and problems.

Former Union Minister and farmers’ leader Babagouda Patil attributes this problem to lack of unity among farmers. He says that farmers are divided by religion, caste, land-holding and the type of crops they cultivate. “A large land owner does not side with a small farmer. A farmer who grows cash crops does not sit with a subsistence farmer for a protest. Efforts to bring farmers under one umbrella have repeatedly failed,” he said.

There seem to be categories based on which farmers are divided and those belonging to different classes do not move together. In spite of this, leaders are assured that all farmers will come together soon, and exert pressure on the political parties to fulfil their demands.