Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar has announced that a meeting of sugarcane farmers and sugar mill owners will be held in Belagavi on October 26, 2026, to discuss farmers’ demands over sugarcane prices and related industry issues. The meeting follows protests by growers in north Karnataka seeking higher cane prices, an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar and a review of the ethanol procurement policy.
Shivakumar said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi would be unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments. According to the Chief Minister, Joshi suggested that the state government first hold discussions with farmers and mill owners, followed by a separate meeting at the central level. Shivakumar noted that the challenges facing sugarcane growers extended beyond Karnataka and required a broader national-level response.
Farmers in north Karnataka had temporarily suspended their week-long ‘Hubballi Chalo’ agitation on October 19 following discussions with officials and Union Minister Joshi. They have given the state and central governments until November 26 to address their demands. 
The farmers are seeking a sugarcane price of ₹5,500 per tonne, an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar to ₹60 per kg, and a review of the ethanol procurement policy concerning sugarcane-based ethanol. The proposed discussions are expected to address the concerns of growers and the financial challenges facing sugar mills amid changing sugar and ethanol market conditions.
The meeting comes at a crucial time for Karnataka’s sugar industry, as farmers seek better returns while mills face pressure from production costs, sugar realisations and policy decisions affecting ethanol manufacturing. The outcome of the state-level discussions could help determine the next steps in negotiations before the November 26 deadline set by the farmers.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said he would hold discussions with Union ministers in New Delhi on several issues affecting Karnataka, including forest land disputes and pending project-related concerns. He also highlighted the critically low water level in the Tungabhadra reservoir, saying the state needed a strategy to manage water demand amid a lack of rainfall. Karnataka has requested a meeting with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister to discuss the issue.
The Chief Minister also said he planned to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the state’s demands for drought relief and central assistance.
For Karnataka’s sugar sector, the October 26 meeting will be an important opportunity to bring farmers and mill owners together and examine possible solutions to the ongoing dispute over cane prices, sugar pricing and ethanol policy.
