Karanataka sugarcane farmers suspend agitation

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CM writes to PM seeking early revision of sugar MSP, restoring FRP base to 9.5%

By BL Bengaluru Bureau

Updated - October 21, 2026 at 09:43 PM. | Bengaluru

Sugarcane farmers walking towards Tegur in Dharwad district during their Hubballi Chalo padayatra on Sunday. They have since announced that they will temporarily end the padayatra on Monday and that they will resume it after October 23. P.K. BADIGER (REPORT ON PAGE 5) P.K. BADIGER | Photo Credit: th-online Administrator

Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka have suspended their agitation and set November 26 as a new deadline for the government to meet their demands that also includes higher fair and remunerative price and increase in minimum selling price (MSP) for sugar.

The agitation has been suspended following the talks between Food Minister Pralhad Joshi and representatives of farmers late on Sunday night. The Centre has set up a committee under Prof Ramesh Chand, former member NITI Aayog to examine the issues raised by sugarcane farmers and recommend appropriate measures for addressing their concerns.

Farmers have been demanding an increase in FRP to a minimum of ₹4,500-5,500 per tonne citing sharp increase in cultivation costs. They are also demanding that the MSP be increased to ₹60 per kg from the current ₹31 per kg. The Centre had fixed a FRP of ₹3,650 per tonne of cane for 2026-27 season starting October.

‘Ball in Centre’s court’

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the measures taken by the State, while stating that the farmers’ core demands can be met only by the Centre.

Shivakumar said the State government has taken all measures available to it within its powers such as issuing of standard operating procedure to prevent irregularities in the weighbridges among others. All mills have been directed to obtain NABL accreditation for their recovery testing laboratory.

He urged the PM to take an early decision on revising the MSP of sugar, fixing separate MSPs for domestic and commercial sugar and review the exclusion of cane-based ethanol from the procurement tender, while increasing the price of cane-based ethanol.

The Karnataka CM also urged the PM to restore the FRP base recovery to 9.5 per cent from the current 10.25 per cent. “FRP is reduced when recovery falls below this base, but sugar recovery depends on soil, climate and the time of crushing, which the farmer does not control. As a result, the farmers in low-recovery area do not get even the base FRP. Hence I request the base be brought back to 9.5 per cent so that the FRP reflects the farmers’ real cost,” he said.

Published on October 21, 2026

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