Sugarcane growers block road in Mysuru demanding higher FRP and state price

Sugarcane growers created a road blockade outside the Deputy Commissioner's office in Siddharthanagar, Mysuru, on Tuesday, pressing the centre to raise the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to ₹4,500 per tonne for a 10.25% recovery rate and urging the state to set a State Advisory Price (SAP) similar to neighboring states.

What Happened

Farmers from several branches of the State Sugarcane Growers' Associations and the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha gathered at Dairy Circle, marched toward the commissioner’s building and halted traffic for nearly three hours, even cooking and eating on site. Police erected barricades, initially preventing entry, but later allowed some leaders inside after talks.

Demands

The core demand is an FRP of ₹4,500 per tonne. They also want Karnataka’s SAP to match figures in Tamil Nadu (₹4,000), Punjab (₹4,480) and Uttar Pradesh (₹4,200). Additional grievances include alleged cheating in sugar recovery estimates, irregular weighing practices and delayed payments.

Reactions

Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers' Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar voiced anger at chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, accusing him of misleading farmers and claiming the state lacks authority to fix prices. KRRS president Badagalapura Nagendra warned of a large protest at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on November 6 and said the agitation could spread to villages if the government does not act. Deputy Commissioners of Police Harsha Priyamvada (Law and Order) and Sundar Raj (Traffic and Crime) met the protesters, while farmer leader Hosakote Basavaraju submitted a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissioner Aishwarya.

Context

Agricultural price setting in India often varies state‑by‑state, leading growers to push for uniform, higher rates that reflect production costs and recovery percentages.