*”Farmers’ Organisations Call on Sugar Mill Owners to Stand with Sugarcane Growers; Demand ₹4,500 per Tonne Without Deductions, One-Time Payment and Declaration of Final Cane Price.*
*”Pune | October 16, 2026.*
*Issued by: Weekly Punyamat Kisan Diary News Service, Pune.*
Amid growing concerns over fair remuneration for sugarcane growers in Maharashtra, the Sharad Joshi Vichar Manch Shetkari Sanghatana has demanded a minimum, cost-based sugarcane price of ₹4,500 per tonne for the 2026–27 crushing season, payable in one instalment without deductions. The organisation has also called for the declaration of the final sugarcane price and urged sugar factory owners to suspend sugar sales until a concrete decision is taken on Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) and the final cane price.
The demand was announced by Vitthal Raje Pawar, National President and Convenor of the organisation, while speaking to journalists in Pune on Friday, October 16, 2026.
“Sugar factory owners must stand firmly with farmers. The cooperative sector and farmers must demonstrate through action that they are fighting together. Only then will the government take the concerns of sugarcane producers seriously and understand the need to address issues relating to the sugar base price and the remuneration payable to growers,” Pawar said.
Memorandum submitted to Central and Maharashtra Governments
The organisation stated that a memorandum outlining its demands was submitted on October 6, 2026, to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), NITI Aayog, the Union Agriculture Minister, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, the State Cooperation and Marketing Departments, and the Commissioner of Sugar.
The memorandum calls for immediate policy intervention to ensure remunerative cane prices, timely FRP payments, transparency in sugar factory finances and protection of farmers’ outstanding dues.
Demand for sugar base price of ₹45–₹50 per kilogram
The organisation has demanded that the base price of sugar be fixed between ₹45 and ₹50 per kilogram, arguing that sugar prices and the financial position of sugar mills must be considered while determining the remuneration payable to sugarcane growers.
It has also demanded that eligible farmers who supplied sugarcane for crushing during the 2025–26 season receive an additional payment of at least ₹700 per tonne before Diwali. The amount should be transferred directly to the farmers’ bank accounts.
The organisation has further called for the recovery of overdue FRP payments along with interest at 15 per cent, wherever applicable under the relevant court orders and legal provisions.
It has stressed that sugarcane bills must be paid in full, without unauthorised deductions, within the prescribed period under the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966. Effective enforcement is necessary to ensure that growers receive their dues directly in their bank accounts within the stipulated timeframe.
High-level inquiry and special audit of sugar factories from 2016 to 2026
The memorandum also seeks a high-level inquiry and special audit covering the relevant sugar factories for the ten-year period from 2016 to 2026.
According to the organisation, the investigation should examine FRP payments, sugar recovery rates, revenue from sugar and by-products, deductions from sugarcane bills, financial transactions and outstanding payments to workers.
The sugar factories and institutions named in the memorandum include Karmayogi Indapur, Chandrabhaga Bhavaninagar, Gokul Sugar Dhotri, Ashti, Indreshwar, Someshwar, Warana, Vighnahar, Rameshwar, Sant Eknath, Vaidyanath at Parli, Anurag, Sai Krupa at Devdaithan and Hirdgaon, Bhima Patas, Samarth Jalna, Chopda, Bhairavnath, Lokmangal, both sugar factories at Akluj, Tanpure, Ashok Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, Nanded Chavan Mauli, Laxmi Solapur, Aryan Sugar and other related entities.
The organisation has also called for an impartial examination of the role of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) and other relevant institutions in matters connected with the issues raised in the memorandum.
The organisation’s demands concern scrutiny and accountability; the naming of any factory or institution in the memorandum does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.
Official representatives of farmers must be included in policy decisions
The organisation has demanded a high-level meeting involving its authorised representatives to discuss sugarcane prices, FRP, the sugar base price and outstanding payments owed to farmers.
It has called on the government to take time-bound decisions on all the demands and issue a written action-taken report detailing the steps initiated by the concerned authorities.
“Why should farmers be denied justice when the crop and the labour belong to them?”
Raising questions about the existing price-determination process, Pawar said, “The sugarcane belongs to the farmer, the sweat and hard work belong to the farmer, and the produce comes from the farmer’s fields. Why, then, should farmers be denied justice when the price is determined?”
He warned that if the government failed to take immediate and concrete decisions, his organisation would bring together like-minded farmers’ organisations and launch a joint, peaceful and democratic agitation.
Pawar reiterated that sugar factory owners and sugarcane growers must work together to protect the cooperative sector and secure fair remuneration for agricultural producers.
The memorandum bears the names of Kashinath Jadhav Patil, Balasaheb Warpe Patil, Shrikant Nalawade, Dr. Girish Vitthal Shinde and Bapurao Dnyanoba Wagh, along with the organisation’s representatives.
Key Demands at a Glance
Minimum sugarcane price of ₹4,500 per tonne for the 2026–27 season, without deductions and payable in one instalment.
Declaration of the final sugarcane price.
Suspension of sugar sales until a concrete decision is taken on FRP and the final cane price.
Sugar base price of ₹45–₹50 per kilogram.
At least ₹700 per tonne in additional payment to eligible growers for the 2025–26 season before Diwali.
Recovery of overdue FRP with 15% interest wherever applicable under court orders and law.
High-level inquiry and special audit of relevant sugar factories covering 2016–2026.
A high-level meeting with authorised farmers’ representatives and a written, time-bound action-taken report.
*Vitthal Raje Pawar.*
*President;-* Sharad Joshi Vichamanch Maharashtra.
*Former Member;-* Sugar Cen Mandal Maharashtra State.
*Contact 7887313311, Email- sjvmss.vp9@gmail.com*
