New Delhi

The Centre on Monday decided to set up a high-level joint committee within a week to address the grievances of sugarcane farmers from Maharashtra and Karnataka, after nearly three hours of talks between two Union ministers and representatives of farmer bodies in the national capital.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Food Minister Pralhad Joshi held detailed discussions at the Pusa campus with a delegation of farmers from the two major sugarcane-growing states. About 80-90 farmers from different organisations attended, along with state ministers.

With sugar mills set to begin crushing in the 2026-27 season, which started on October 1, farmers have sought a higher support price, citing rising production costs. They have also demanded that the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar be raised from Rs 31 per kg to Rs 50 per kg.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Chouhan said the discussions covered ground-level issues, including discrepancies in recovery figures reported by mills, weighing, wastage, laboratory testing and crop insurance.

"Exploitation of farmers, who provide food, will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said, describing discrepancies in recovery rates, weight deductions and concealment of actual recovery figures by mills as highly sensitive matters.

Rather than seeking immediate or piecemeal solutions, Chouhan said, it was essential to establish a transparent, scientific system so that no mill could infringe farmers' rights in future.

According to the official statement, the ministers announced the formation of a "special high-level joint committee within a week".

It will comprise representatives of the Centre, Karnataka and Maharashtra governments, farmers' organisations and sugar mills, besides subject-matter experts and scientists.

The panel will examine technical aspects such as harvest timing, scientific parameters for recovery, modern laboratory testing systems and accuracy of weighing, and submit its recommendations to the government within a stipulated timeframe.

The statement said cooperation from state governments is also expected to expedite action.

It was decided to bring out both short- and long-term policy decisions, with administrative reforms and policy and technical frameworks to be strengthened on a scientific basis, they added.

Chouhan assured the farmers that the Centre would act on their suggestions "with the utmost sensitivity and without any discrimination", and that the Modi government would continue to provide all possible support to economically empower the farming community.

Joshi explained the scientific process for determining the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane and the methodology for cost assessment.

He said the Centre was ensuring transparency at every level in coordination with states and farmers.

The Centre has fixed the FRP, the legally mandated minimum price mills must pay farmers, at Rs 365 per quintal for the 2026-27 season (October-September), at a basic recovery of 10.25 per cent.

"Setting up a committee is long-drawn. We need an immediate solution, i.e., an increase in support price. We will discuss with the fellow farmers and decide next course of action," Bhuvanesh Sidhapur, Haveri district president of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association, told PTI after the meeting.

The association has demanded a higher support price of at least Rs 550 per quintal, given the increase in production cost.

It also said FRP should not be determined solely on the basis of sugar prices but should also take into account revenue from by-products such as ethanol, bagasse and electricity.

Several organisations also sought a State Advisory Price (SAP), over and above FRP in Karnataka, on the lines of incentives provided in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar.

Sidhapur noted that the MSP for sugar has remained unchanged since February 2019.

Some farmers also flagged discrepancies in weighment after harvest and demanded digital weighing machines at all APMCs. They expressed concern over discrepancies in assessing the recovery rate, on which the cane price paid to farmers is based.

Farmers in Karnataka began an agitation in Hubballi on September 29, demanding a higher cane price and an increase in the MSP of sugar from Rs 31 per kg to Rs 60 per kg.

They had threatened an indefinite highway blockade from October 13 if their demands were not met. The Centre asked them to call off the protest and invited them for talks in Delhi.

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Maharashtra and Karnataka are the second and third-largest cane-producing states in the country, after Uttar Pradesh.