When one farmer dies, all of Mandya burns

Bengaluru: In Mandya, sugarcane plants dance in the wind as far as the eye can see. Despite its aesthetic charm, the scene has a certain desolate quality to it - thousands of acres of unharvested sugarcane stand unguarded as their owners drop like flies. 13 suicides in three weeks is enough to make even the most apathetic government sit up and take notice, but nothing much has been done apart from the obligatory lip service.

The state setting a baseline price for sugarcane has done more harm than good, especially in light of the recent fall in the market rate of sugar, for factory owners who are unwilling to pay their dues have simply refused to start processing the sugarcane, rendering acres of plantations useless.

Because of this, much of the enormous sugar-belt lies unharvested - what will the farmers do with sugarcane that nobody wants to buy? Every passing day only compounds their worries, as debts mount and the situation shows no signs of easing up.  Any stranger passing through the villages is regarded with wariness, for farmers look at outsiders as representatives of the factories that have mistreated them so.

Sannamma is a first time planter, who hoped that the harvest would help her set aside some money for her daughter's marriage. She owns an acre of land and invested Rs 1.5 lakh on the crop, seeking the help of local youths to sell her produce. Her dreams of a handsome income went up in smoke, as the sugarcane belt was hit by its worst slump in recent times.

Muddegowda, a regular sugarcane grower living in Bettahalli village, trembles every time he hears about a suicide. "It's very upsetting to hear of a farmer consuming poison or hanging himself, because I can understand the plight of the families that have been left behind. How can they be expected to survive on the meagre Rs 1 lakh that the government hands out when the primary breadwinner of the family is no longer around?" he asked. "One lakh is the monthly salary of our ministers."

In nearby Hanagala village, Suresh Karigowda insists that only the state government can save them now. "The government should take the required measures to set things right," he said, adding. "If they don't, there will be suicides and fields being burnt on a much larger scale. This problem has been around for the last couple of months but nothing has been done," he said.

Although paddy is grown in the area, this amounts to a measly five percent of the total crop - most farmers prefer sugarcane, which is relatively risk free. "Farmers in the district will show their might if the government fails to get the sugar mills moving within the next two weeks," he said.

Hiding the pain

Crippling debt and the progressive decline in sugar prices have given farmers more than their share of troubles, but they are wonderful hosts, despite everything. I visited the home of a farmer who had destroyed his standing crop due to the lack of demand and was met at the door by an elderly woman. When she understood my reason for being there, she woke up her son and offered me tea, coffee and milk. She even told her husband, Swamy Gowda, who was outside clearing the field  to bring me some tender coconut.

They made sure I was comfortable before they talked about the hardships of being a sugarcane farmer. After the interview, they offered me a bag of coconuts and vegetables they had grown in a small corner of their field as a token of their gratitude. They had just one heartfelt plea - "Ask the government to waive our loans if it wants to bail out farmers."

Prices fall and fall

Sugar is now being sold at Rs 23 a kg!  Pandavapura Sahakari Sakkare Kharkhane (Pandavapura Co-Operative Sugar Factory), one of the oldest sugar mills in the co-operative sector, has resorted to selling sugar at Rs 23 per kg to bail out farmers.

Inside sources said the factory had stock of about 15,000 quintals which had been earmarked for sale at the wholesale price. They have opened four factory outlets where sugar was sold at Rs 23 per kg. The factory owes Rs 10.5 crore to farmers who supplied cane to them last year.

The factory has not been able to clear its dues owing to the fall of sugar prices in the open market. On July 31 last, the cost of sugar per kilo was Rs 31. Prices have crashed by Rs 11 per kilo in a span of 12 months.

Sources said a number of people buy sugar from the outlet not with the intent of taking undue advantage of the situation, but to help the factory mobilize funds to pay farmers. The need of the hour is to ban the import of sugar from Brazil and Cuba, failing which the prognosis is dire - prices are expected to fall to Rs 15 per kilo.

The wholesale price was Rs 19.80 per kilo, with Rs 3.20 collected as tax. The market price was around Rs 28. "We cannot wait for months for sugar prices to recover," said the source, adding. "Whether it ends in profit or loss, we want to dispose of our stock as much as possible in order to pay the farmers."