Sugarcane Rates

Years of bumper cane harvests and record sugar production have hammered domestic sugar prices, making it hard for mills to pay monies owed to farmers, who form an influential voting bloc.

Karnataka has not traditionally been seen as a state with a large number of farmer suicides. But this year has been unusual, and the month of July saw 188 deaths in the state. Many were in debt as sugar factories stopped payments, fall in prices and exorbitant interest rates by moneylenders have forced farmers to take the extreme step.

With 107 farmer suicide deaths reported in Karnataka this year, the state government has come under fire from the opposition. Most of the deaths have been reported from the fertile sugarcane belts of South Karnataka due to low prices of their crop.

Death of farmers due to financial stress is being reported from the sugarcane growing areas of Karnataka. Pending dues in factories and low sugar prices this year have added to problems. At least 13 farmers have reportedly committed suicide in the last three weeks in Mandya region.

Government support would be critical for viability of sugar mills in marketing year 2014-15 that started in October in view of high cane prices and lower sales realisation, rating agency Icra has said.

The recent hike in the import duty on raw sugar from 15 per cent to 40 per cent is likely to boost the domestic prices, agency Care Ratings has said in a report.

Sugar industry body ISMA on Tuesday demanded that the Centre should convince northern states like Uttar Pradesh to link sugarcane rates with sugar prices for ensuring survival of the industry.

Sugarcane growers in Odisha's Ganjam district today urged the authorities of Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Limited (ACSIL) to procure sugarcane at Rs 2500 per quintal this year at field level. The factory authorities had paid Rs 2000 per quintal of sugarcane in the last crushing season to farmers. Sugarcane farmers want the announcem...

Years of bumper cane harvests and record sugar production have hammered domestic sugar prices, making it hard for mills to pay monies owed to farmers, who form an influential voting bloc.

Karnataka has not traditionally been seen as a state with a large number of farmer suicides. But this year has been unusual, and the month of July saw 188 deaths in the state. Many were in debt as sugar factories stopped payments, fall in prices and exorbitant interest rates by moneylenders have forced farmers to take the extreme step.

With 107 farmer suicide deaths reported in Karnataka this year, the state government has come under fire from the opposition. Most of the deaths have been reported from the fertile sugarcane belts of South Karnataka due to low prices of their crop.

Death of farmers due to financial stress is being reported from the sugarcane growing areas of Karnataka. Pending dues in factories and low sugar prices this year have added to problems. At least 13 farmers have reportedly committed suicide in the last three weeks in Mandya region.

Government support would be critical for viability of sugar mills in marketing year 2014-15 that started in October in view of high cane prices and lower sales realisation, rating agency Icra has said.

The recent hike in the import duty on raw sugar from 15 per cent to 40 per cent is likely to boost the domestic prices, agency Care Ratings has said in a report.

Sugar industry body ISMA on Tuesday demanded that the Centre should convince northern states like Uttar Pradesh to link sugarcane rates with sugar prices for ensuring survival of the industry.

Sugarcane growers in Odisha's Ganjam district today urged the authorities of Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Limited (ACSIL) to procure sugarcane at Rs 2500 per quintal this year at field level. The factory authorities had paid Rs 2000 per quintal of sugarcane in the last crushing season to farmers. Sugarcane farmers want the announcem...