Sugarcane farmers’ organisations have set October 25 as the deadline for the Maharashtra government to take a concrete decision on pricing and pending payments, warning that farmers will be mobilised for a march to the state secretariat in Mumbai if their demands are not addressed.
The organisations issued the warning during a protest held in Pune on October 8 over issues linked to the 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season and payments for cane supplied during the previous season. Their demands include a sugarcane price based on the increased cost of cultivation, recovery of unpaid Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) with interest, and a minimum second instalment of Rs 525 for cane crushed during the 2025-26 season.
The protest followed a written representation submitted to the sugar commissioner on September 24. The organisations had sought a joint meeting involving the government, sugar factory owners and farmer representatives to resolve the pricing and payment issues. They said no solution had emerged so far, leading them to announce an escalation in their agitation.
According to the organisations, the cost of fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides, labour and harvesting and transportation has increased, while sugarcane prices have not risen in proportion. They have demanded that cane prices be determined by considering the actual cost of production and farmers’ expenses, rather than being linked only to the market price of sugar.
The organisations have also opposed the decision to begin crushing operations from October 15 and demanded that sugar factories start operations only after November 15. They said crushing sugarcane before it reaches full maturity could reduce sugar recovery and cause financial losses to farmers.
Other demands include scrapping the 25-kilometre condition between two sugar factories and charging cane transportation rates according to the actual distance travelled. The organisations have sought a minimum sugar sale price of Rs 55 per kilogram and separate sugar prices for household and industrial use.
For the 2025-26 season, they have demanded that all factories be directed to pay a minimum second instalment of Rs 525 for the sugarcane already crushed. They have also sought immediate orders for payment of pending FRP along with interest. Factories that do not submit calculations under the Revenue Sharing Formula, or fail to pay farmers their due share, should face action, the organisations said.
The groups further alleged that some sugar factories manipulate cane weights and sugar recovery figures. The allegation was made during the Pune protest and was not independently established in the report.
Those present at the protest included Prof. Dr Jalandar Patil, Bhagwan Kate, Shivaji Mane, Vaibhav Kamble, Nitin Patil, Sandeep Desai, Savkar Madnaik and Sambhajirao Chougale. The organisations said the next step would be to mobilise farmers for a march to the ministry in Mumbai if the government does not take a concrete decision by October 25.
