Farmer drinks pesticide during protest in Belagavi

A farmer drank from a bottle that apparently contained pesticide during the protest by sugarcane farmers for higher prices in Gurlapur in Belagavi district on Monday.

Lakkappa Gunagar of Alakanur village in Raybag taluk, who was in the crowd, moved closer to MP Jagadish Shettar and drank from the bottle. Mr. Shettar and others who noticed it, rushed him to the hospital immediately. Police said he is recovering.

Mr. Shettar appealed to the farmers not to take such extreme steps. He said that their demands were justified and that they should continue their protest till their demand were met.

Farmers have been protesting in Gurlapur and other places for 4-5 days now. But the government has remained a mute spectator. It has not taken any steps to express solidarity with them. The State government should declare a Minimum Support Price of ₹3,500 per tonne, other than transport and cutting charges. Only then, farmers will be able to make a profit, Mr. Shettar said. He claimed that private and cooperative factories in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Haryana were already paying between ₹3,500 - ₹4,100 per tonne.

Members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Hasiru Sene, and Karnataka Sugarcane Farmers Association have been protesting for higher prices for sugarcane in a few places in Belagavi district. On Tuesday, they blocked the Nippani- Mudhol road for some time.

MLA Duryodhan Aihole, activists Ashok Pujari and Bheemappa Gadag , Subash Patil, BJP district president and others visited the spot on Tuesday.

Farmer groups held protests in Athani, Sambra and Bailhongal on Tuesday, seeking higher sugarcane prices.