Sugarcane farmers call off stir after DKShi's assurance

Belagavi: Sugarcane cultivators, on Friday, called off their indefinite stir following Minister D K Shivakumar’s assurance that by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to them on the issue would be fulfilled in two weeks time.

Shivkumar who met with the farmers, protesting outside the deputy commissioner’s office on the sidelines of his visit to the city to attend a function was successful in managing to convince them to call off the stir.

Farmers, under the banner of Bharatiya Krishik Samaj and Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene have been staging the protest seeking settlement of their arrears from the sugar factories and increased Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) among others. 

The growers had continued their agitation despite the instruction to the sugar mill owners by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, asking them to clear the pending dues and pay an additional Rs 300 on FRP. Farmer leader Siddegouda Modagi had even launched an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Bagalkote farmers have said that they would call off their three-week-long strike only after the sugar mill owners give an undertaking to the deputy commissioner that they would pay Rs 2,500 per tonne of cane and honour the current year FRP.