Overview
- On day three, protesters in Mudhol held a bullock cart rally, tried to lay siege to offices, blocked a key road, and stopped cane-laden lorries, as talks with the district minister and officials failed.
- The State’s effective rate stands at ₹3,300 per tonne including a ₹50 incentive, which officials say applies to all factories, and a delegation will petition New Delhi for higher support prices and ethanol-policy changes.
- Growers demand a uniform ₹3,500 per tonne regardless of factory recovery rates, with leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar calling the current pricing unscientific and urging an expert committee to verify recovery.
- Some farmers in Belagavi border taluks are diverting cane to Maharashtra mills offering about ₹3,600 per tonne, increasing pressure on local factories.
- Several factories in Belagavi announced readiness to pay the State rate, and Satish Sugars began crushing for the season with a promise of timely payments.