Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Bengaluru: The ruling Congress in Karnataka has full power to fix sugarcane prices under the SAP (State Advised Price) law enacted by the BJP government, but it is yet to exercise this power, criticized former chief minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai.
Posting on Twitter on Saturday, he said, If the Chief Minister utilizes this provision and ensures justice to the farmers, it will lead to a fair and legitimate solution to the sugarcane price issue, Bommai said.
He said that during its tenure, the BJP government had made SAP law to determine the fair price of sugarcane. Under this law, the state government has full authority to fix the price based on specific parameters – including cost of sugarcane cultivation, sugar production, production of co-products, market price and profit sharing between farmers and factory owners.
Till now the state government has not exercised these powers. He advised that if the Chief Minister uses this power and does justice to the farmers, it can lead to a legitimate and balanced solution to the problem.
The Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi district held a meeting with sugar mill owners and managed to increase the rate of sugarcane per tonne from Rs 2,900 to Rs 3,200, thereby winning the goodwill of the farmers.
Bommai said, on the contrary, our respected Chief Minister, after making a lot of efforts and holding day-long meetings, proposed an increase of only Rs 50 per tonne above Rs 3,200, to which some factory owners agreed and some did not.
The former CM commented, “If a single officer can achieve what the head of the state cannot do, it certainly raises questions about the credibility of the chief minister.”
However, he also said that the government’s decision to introduce an additional Rs 50 contribution, albeit late, is a positive development.
“I had earlier urged the Chief Minister to intervene and sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) with sugar mills to buy the power produced from sugar units at Rs 5.5 per unit. Sugar is a commercial crop and a commodity of daily use. Therefore, when the central government decides on the price of sugar and its by-products, it takes a balanced decision – ensuring that the general public is not burdened while giving fair compensation to the farmers. Hence, blaming only the Center for everything. It is not fair. It is the duty of the state government to protect the interests of our farmers,” he said.
Following protests by sugarcane farmers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a seven-hour long meeting and announced the decision to fix the price of sugarcane at Rs 3,300 per quintal.
He said that both the government and factory owners will contribute Rs 50 each, due to which farmers will get Rs 3,300 per tonne.
Union Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday wrote a letter directly to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah objecting to the blame on the Centre.
He said, “It is not right for the Karnataka government to point fingers at the Center regarding the issue of sugarcane farmers. This is an unjust act of misleading the farmers.”
Joshi said, as the protests by sugarcane farmers have intensified across the state, it is not acceptable for the Chief Minister to point the finger at the Center and try to put the blame on the issue of protecting farmers’ interests.
–IANS