Vijaypura, 9 Nov

 Karnataka Minister MB Patil clarified that the State government does not have a significant role in the sugarcane pricing issue and asserted that the central government must examine the matter, underlining that the Centre fixes the fair and remunerative price (FRP) and maximum retail price (MRP).

He said the Chief Minister has clearly declared a support price of Rs 3,300, though there still exists confusion about it among the people.

Targeting the Central government's "shortcomings", he accused them of manipulating the farmers against the State Government and urged for a delegation.

 Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also criticised the Centre for neglecting the issue of sugarcane pricing, stating that lakhs of farmers across the state are in distress due to the widening gap between cultivation costs and price realisation.

He highlighted the slow growth in sugarcane prices under the current regime and noted that the FRP per quintal has increased at only 4.47 per cent since 2014, compared to a 12.96 per cent rise during the UPA era.

The Chief Minister also expressed disappointment over the absence of Union Ministers from Karnataka at the 7 November meeting, which was held to discuss the pricing of sugarcane.