The air in Belagavi district is thick with tension and determination as protests by sugarcane farmers intensify, bringing vast portions of Karnataka’s northern heartland to a standstill. The central demand is clear and urgent: a higher and fairer price for sugarcane—specifically, Rs 3,500 per tonne, a rate that growers insist is the minimum needed for decent survival in a year marked by erratic weather, rising input costs, and lagging payments from sugar mills. Into this charged atmosphere has stepped BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra, throwing the weight of his position and party squarely behind the agitating farmers and amplifying their cry for justice.
On the muddy grounds of Gurlapura village in Mudalagi taluk, where farmers from Belagavi, Bagalkot, and Vijayapura have camped for nearly a week, Vijayendra’s arrival brought renewed attention and hope to the agitation. He stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of cultivators, many of whom had arrived on tractors or by foot, demanding the state government shift from indifference to action. Speaking to the press, Vijayendra accused the Congress-led administration of ignoring the core issues tormenting farmers, reminding reporters that the sugar industry—though a massive source of revenue for Karnataka—would collapse without the sacrifice of those tilling the land.
“We are here not just as political opponents, but as citizens who understand the pain of the farmer,” Vijayendra declared passionately. “Every year, six million tonnes of sugarcane are crushed, and the government earns tens of thousands of crores through taxes and by-product sales. Yet, the ones who make this industry possible are left unheard and unpaid. This is a gross injustice.”
Roadblocks, Rallies, and a Spiraling Crisis
The impact of the ongoing protest has been both symbolic and disruptive. Over 50,000 farmers, supported by students and local associations, have joined the outcry, blocking highways around Gokak, enforcing a total bandh in Hukkeri, and staging sit-ins in front of district offices. The stalling of operations at 26 sugar factories—one of the region’s lifelines—has sent aftershocks through the local economy, forcing mill owners and government officials into emergency negotiations even as traffic and business are paralyzed.
Protesters have rejected the Rs 3,200 per tonne rate proposed by sugar mills and government mediators, arguing that input costs, labour wages, and weather-damaged crops have made this figure financially unviable. Many have urged the state to emulate Maharashtra’s payment model, lauded for its more structured and timely payments. The memory of past tragedies is never far from the conversation, with Vijayendra recalling the 2014 suicide of sugarcane farmer Vittal Arabavi, a searing reminder of what’s at stake for families burdened by debt and neglect.
Political Stakes and Calls for Change
Vijayendra’s decision to join the protest comes with significant political weight. He invoked the memory of his own party’s former chief minister, B.S. Yediyurappa, whose public protest a decade ago extracted a crucial support price hike for farmers. The BJP’s positioning transforms the current struggle into both a fight for rural justice and a pointed critique of what it calls “Congress apathy” in North Karnataka. Advocates warn that if the state continues to align with sugar mill owners, the agitation could swell into a wider rural unrest, shaking not just sugar factories but the broader narrative of governance.
Farmers, meanwhile, have vowed to sustain their protest and escalate further if their voices are not heard. Many have left their fields untended, willing to incur daily hardship for the promise of a more secure future. In speaking with the crowds, Vijayendra pledged ongoing support: “We will not leave the side of the farmer. This cause rises above party lines—it is about respect, dignity, and survival.”
As the agitation stretches on, the region waits for a definitive government response—one that does justice to the relentless work, risk, and hope rooted in every sugarcane field now standing as a silent witness to this battle for fairness.
The roots of the current unrest run deep. Sugarcane farming in North Karnataka has long endured fluctuations in market price, delayed payments from mills, and heavy dependence on rain-fed irrigation. Farmers complain that government-set State Advisory Prices (SAP) never reflect true production costs, with fertilizer, diesel, and labour rates rising each season but support prices failing to keep pace. This chronic gap, they argue, keeps families perpetually indebted as they struggle to recover investments from one harvest before the next begins.
Local cooperative leaders point out that many factories in the region are owned by politically influential figures, exacerbating the tension between growers and mill owners. Though both Congress and BJP have leaders in the sugar industry, farmers remain skeptical, citing broken promises delivered before elections. The protests—now entering their sixth day—have grown in size and complexity. Dozens of tractors and bullock carts parked along highways serve as both transport and makeshift shelters for those determined to stay until their demands are met.
The sight of students and women joining the agitation lends it an unmistakable emotional power. Young people have marched around district headquarters waving placards for fair prices, while groups of women have cooked meals on the roadside and organized sit-ins outside mill gates. Their presence is a reminder that the movement is not just a fight for money but a plea for dignity and future security.
Anger spilled onto the Bengaluru–Pune Highway, bringing one of India’s busiest transport routes to a standstill. Farmers set up camp in the middle of the thoroughfare, making headlines and drawing comparisons with the famous Delhi farmers’ rally. Motorists stuck in long traffic jams expressed impatience, but many also offered food and water to protesters—a show of solidarity cutting across urban and rural divides.
The sense of urgency escalated when one protester attempted suicide, consuming poison on the rally’s frontlines. Quick police intervention saved his life, but the episode underscored the mental and financial pressure weighing on Karnataka’s cultivators. Farmer suicide has a tragic history in the region, making the current protests more fraught and prompting political leaders to handle negotiations with extra sensitivity.
In response, the state government has taken a cautious approach. Home Minister Parameshwar announced that police would not forcibly disperse protesters, tasking sugar minister Shivanand Patil with direct negotiations. Ministers Sathish Jarkiholi and Lakshmi Hebbalkar have been sent to Belagavi to engage with farmer representatives, seeking to avoid escalation and reach a middle ground.
The farmers’ principal demand—adoption of Maharashtra’s payment model—remains steadfast. Maharashtra not only pays higher prices per tonne but also enforces structured and timely payments to cane growers, avoiding the chronic delays that plague Karnataka. Local leaders reference successful Maharashtra reforms, arguing that their model could stabilize the industry and stem unrest.
Political implications are significant. With BJP president Vijayendra joining the protest, the agitation has evolved from an economic movement into a clear test of state government responsiveness. He has promised to carry the fight into upcoming assembly sessions, while opposition leaders are watching closely to gauge public sentiment in an agrarian belt critical to both parties’ electoral fortunes.
Meanwhile, factory owners, caught between farmers and government, have called for subsidies and relief measures to offset their own costs. Looming uncertainty over pricing is forcing mills to halt operations, with cut sugar production threatening broader disruption across Karnataka’s economy. Analysts warn that if deadlock persists, rural distress could translate into urban shortages and rising consumer prices for sugar, further expanding the impact of the protest.
As night falls over Belagavi’s crowded protest camps and shuttered factories, grassroots resolve and political bargaining continue side by side. The region’s sugarcane fields—normally symbols of prosperity—now stand as monuments to struggle. The outcome will affect not just today’s agitators, but the next generation whose future rides on the price of a crop and the promise of fair governance.
As the agitation intensifies, the protest’s reach has spread even further: schools, colleges, and shops across Belagavi remained shut in solidarity, while highway blockades have disrupted connectivity between major towns and created economic ripples far outside the agricultural sector. Local community leaders warn that unless the government quickly announces a revised price and adapts linkages to the Maharashtra payment model, rural unrest could snowball to neighboring districts, drawing in more farmer unions and potentially affecting supply chains for allied industries like transport and retail.
Student participation continues to be a defining feature of the movement, with young protesters staging rallies, organizing food and water distribution, and amplifying demands through social media and local networks. Their involvement highlights the generational stakes: for many, their family’s future depends on a fair resolution, and their actions reflect a deep connection to both the land and tradition. The sight of students, women, and elderly farmers united has put extra moral urgency on the government to avoid heavy-handed responses and listen genuinely to grassroots voices.
In interviews at the protest sites, farmers express frustration at what they call the government’s “slow response” and “side-lining of priorities,” insisting that previous announcements about weighbridges and cabinet-level reforms have amounted to little in the face of escalating hardship. Many leaders vow that the current agitation will continue, with or without party support, until their demands are met in full. With BJP’s support prominent and JD(S) youth leaders voicing solidarity as well, pressure mounts for the ruling administration to deliver concrete solutions and ensure justice for those whose entire livelihoods depend on a crop that now stands at the center of Karnataka’s most urgent rural crisis.
Follow: Karnataka Government
Also read: Home | Channel 6 Network – Latest News, Breaking Updates: Politics, Business, Tech & More
