Association president Kurubur Shanthakumar told a press conference in Mysuru that a delegation of senior office‑bearers met Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi on Sept 3 and submitted a memorandum urging the Centre to lift the FRP.
The group is asking for the FRP to be increased from the current levels of ₹4,500 per tonne for a 10.25 % recovery rate, ₹4,850 for 11.25 %, ₹5,200 for 12.25 % and ₹5,550 for 13.25 % recovery, arguing that the existing rates do not cover farmers’ costs.
For the 2025‑26 season, the Centre had fixed the FRP at ₹3,550 per tonne for a basic recovery rate of 10.25 %, a figure that Shanthakumar said leaves growers financially strained.
He also pointed out that the Karnataka government has capped sugarcane harvesting and transportation charges at ₹800 per tonne and urged farmers to lodge complaints with their Deputy Commissioners if mills deduct any amount beyond that limit.
At a recent Sugarcane Control Board meeting, board representatives appealed to Sugar Minister Rudrappa Lamani and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad to introduce an additional State Advice Price (SAP) of ₹800, mirroring the scheme used in Tamil Nadu.
The association pressed for renewal of existing loans and fresh credit for farmers in drought‑hit areas, noting that 177 taluks have been declared drought‑affected but many have not yet undergone a crop‑loss assessment. Shanthakumar called for an immediate release of crop‑loss compensation and a waiver of crop loans for those regions.
He also criticised the state’s electricity shortage, saying that power cuts are drying up crops and that the government’s lavish Dasara celebrations are a misuse of electricity that betrays farmers.
Separately, Shanthakumar announced that 30 Karnataka farmer leaders will attend a national convention on ethanol production from sugarcane and other agricultural produce in Mumbai on Sept 27‑28, aiming to highlight the sector’s benefits to growers.