Farmers stage rasta roko demanding higher FRP for sugarcane
The Hindu
MYSURU
A large number of farmers staged a demonstration and blocked traffic on the Mysuru-Ooty Road on Thursday in support of their demand for higher Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) price for sugarcane.
The farmers have sought an FRP of ₹3,500 per tonne of sugarcane against ₹3,050 announced by the Centre.
The demonstration was led by Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association and the farmers assembled near the APMC yard on the Outer Ring Road-APMC Yard junction and blocked the traffic. As a result traffic movement from all the directions was effected for sometime forcing the police to create traffic diversion to prevent a pile up.
The farmers raised slogans against the government and also performed ‘’Urilu Seve’’ on the highway to draw attention of the authorities to their demand.
Kurubur Shanthakumar, president of the association, addressed the farmers and said the government was repeatedly making false promise but wase not serious about meeting their demand. The government is swayed and influenced by the sugar factory owners, real estate developers and industrialists and there was no one to speak on behalf of the cultivators, he said.
Moer than 30 lakh sugarcane cultivators in the State have been affected and are financially in dire straits but there was no solution in sight, said Mr. Shanthakumar.
He called upon the farmers to take cognizance of the fact that the elections were impending and hence they (farmers) too should come together and consolidate themselves and vote against such MLAs who are also owners of the sugar factories.