Bengaluru: It is the story of majority of farmers in Mandya district, the ‘Sugar bowl of Karnataka’. After waiting for months for sugar factories to lift sugarcane, Arun Swamy Gowda, who holds a 2-acre land in Shambuhalli in Pandavarapura taluk, recently burnt down the entire crop. It was heartbreaking for him, but he did not have a choice. He had spent over Rs 1.5 lakh to sink a borewell to irrigate the crop, and taken nearly Rs 5 lakh as loan from banks and private money lenders to raise it. But in end, the frustration got the better of him. A first-time sugarcane farmer, he now vows never to return to sugarcane farming again.
Twenty-six-year-old Arun Swamy Gowda has no remorse for whatever he has done. Arun has been the fourth sugarcane grower of Mandya, popularly known as 'Sugar Bowl of Karnataka', to destroy the ready-to-be-harvested cane crop in his two acres of land at Shambuhalli in Pandavarapura taluk.
Initially, his friends and relatives reprimanded him for doing what he did, but now they are planning to tread the same path as there are no signs of improvement in the situation. "I am ready to leave my field barren but I will not grow sugarcane for the rest of my life", he says in anger with tear-filled eyes.
In a chat with Deccan Chronicle at his field, Mr Arun shared how he has been struggling to make ends meet to support his aging parents and a brother. His first experiment of becoming a sugarcane grower has become a 'dreaded' experience. Here are excerpts from his interview.
How much land you own?
I own 2.2 acres of land and I had spent Rs 1.5 lakhs to sink a new borewell to irrigate my field. Besides, I have borrowed Rs 2.30 lakhs from the State Bank of Mysore and Rs one lakh from the Indian Overseas Bank and also around Rs 1.5 lakhs from private money lenders.
Why did you decide to destroy the standing crop?
When I grew the crop, the prices offered by sugar factories were encouraging. Since my father, Swamy Gowda has been a shareholder of Pandavapur Sahakari Sakkare Kharkhane (PSSK), I was under the impression that the factory people would come to our field and buy the harvested crop. Otherwise, I also had the option of selling the sugar cane to two or three sugar mills in our district. To my bad luck, this time, there has been glut in sugar cane production and none of the factories has started buying cane from farmers. The local jaggery units are only ready to buy at Rs 500 to Rs 600 per tonne which does not even cover up 40 per cent of the cost of production.
How much loss have you incurred to grow sugarcane?
I spent Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 on fertiliser, Rs 5,000 on labour charges, Rs 10,000 on seeds and Rs 5,000 to 6,000 on people to guard the field and electricity charges. I was unsure of getting even the amount spent on the crop. I am shocked that there are no takers for cane belonging to growers registered with factories. The harvesting which was supposed to start two months ago, has not started anywhere in my village.
What made you to destroy the standing crop that was taken care of by you?
Suddenly, I became tense about my crop, when there were no buyers for the registered farmers. I did discuss with my father on destroying the crop by using the rotary machine. He agreed with a heavy heart as it was like strangulating your own baby. I controlled my emotions and paid Rs 3,500 to a local guy who owns a rotary machine (a sharp-edged steel machine with big nails attached to tractors to till the land). It took three to four hours for the machine to raze to the ground the cane crop. It was difficult for me to stand seeing how the crops were destroyed but I became firm. I controlled by tears in front of my father. Afterwards, my friends and relatives scolded me for destroying the standing crop that, too, being a son of the soil. I had no option except this. Now, my farmer friends are planning to set fire to their crop if no help comes from the factory or the government in the next 15-20 days. But their biggest worry is that the fire should not spread to the crops in the neighbor’s fields as they have no money to pay for damages.
Will you grow sugar cane from next year?
I am not mad to grow sugarcane next year to face similar problems. I will grow ragi and vegetables to take care of my parents and brother. I will leave my two acres barren but I will not take the risk of growing sugarcane. Enough is enough. I want my fellow farmers not to grow sugarcane from next year to teach a lesson to the government and the factories. Unless we show our unity we will continue to be exploited by everyone. I only pray that the government will bail out the sugar cane growers by waiving the loans borrowed from the nationalised banks and the private money lenders. If they can't do it, more and more farmers will commit suicide in the district following their inability to come out of this crisis.
Did any officer meet you after you destroyed your crop?
No one has come from any department. Not just officers, no elected representative has come to understand our plight. For us, there is no government or department. We (farmers) are feeling orphaned. Our patience is running out and we don't know what we will do. The future looks bleak not only for me but also for lakhs of farmers who are waiting for the government to bail us out from this difficult situation.
