Belagavi: Public works minister Satish Jarkiholi on Sunday said sugar factories were willing to pay higher prices to sugarcane growers if Centre increased minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar. Speaking after Kannada Rajyotsava event in Belagavi, Jarkiholi said a meeting chaired by chief minister DK Shivakumar had discussed the issue, but confusion over cane prices continued between farmers and factory owners.He said factories needed the financial capacity to meet farmers’ demands. While increasing sugar MSP was within Centre’s purview, such a rise would provide financial relief to factories and enable them to pay growers more per tonne. He urged Central govt to take an appropriate decision and cooperate with state govt to address farmers’ concerns. Jarkiholi also alleged that Central govt was not releasing adequate funds for certain schemes.Factories in Belagavi district were prepared to pay Rs 3,500 per tonne of sugarcane, while prices offered in other districts were lower, he said. Factories across the state settled cane payments under four slabs, each carrying a different price. He said any solution should consider farmers’ demands, factories’ financial condition and market price of sugar.Responding to farmers’ allegations of malpractice in weighing sugarcane, Jarkiholi said weighing stations were available every 10 kilometres and farmers could weigh their produce before supplying it to factories. No farmer had yet filed a formal complaint about cheating, he said, adding that any complaint would be investigated to ensure farmers did not face injustice.Jarkiholi said state govt had increased milk prices to financially support milk producers. The measure would increase incomes of farming families dependent on dairy farming, he said.
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