During elections, farmers’ issues take a back seat in Belagavi

Farmers in Belagavi are facing several problems such as non-remunerative prices for farm produce, erratic rainfall, unreliable power supply, and high-cost loans.

The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and other organisations regularly hold protests against the government over these issues. Often, the reason behind the protests is low or delayed payment by sugarcane factories. However, they rarely become talking points come the elections.

Farmers’ groups seldom challenge parties or candidates to fulfil their demands before seeking votes from them, and elected representatives are not held accountable for the promises they have made.

Most of the 37 sugar factories in the district are either owned or managed by politicians. Politicians are either elected chairpersons of cooperative sugar factories or they invest in them, taking complete control. District in-charge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and his brothers own three factories and are in the process of building another two.

Umesh Katti, former Minister and BJP leader, is the chairman of a cooperative factory and owns another private unit. Similarly, most of the candidates in the 18 constituencies in the district either manage factories or have invested in them. However, how efficiently the factories are run or if they pay remunerative prices to farmers or not do not seem to affect the poll outcomes.

Farmers’ leaders say this is because of the focus on caste and other factors, other than common problems or shared interests.

Lack of unity

Babagouda Patil, farmers’ leader and former Union Minister, feels the lack of unity among farmers is the reason for this. “Farmers are divided along the lines of religion, caste, land-holding and crop variety. A large land owner does not side with a small farmer. Similarly, a farmer who grows cash crops does not sit alongside a subsistence farmer during a protest. That is the tragedy. Efforts to bring farmers under one umbrella have repeatedly failed,” he said.

Appasaheb Desai feels there is a disconnect between farmers of different classes. “Most candidates in this election have described themselves as farmers in the affidavits submitted before the Election Commission. Does it mean they represent us, the poor farmers? No. They look down upon us only as voters who are waiting for benefits from the government, while they consider themselves the rulers,” Mr. Desai said.

He is, however, confident that very soon, all farmers will come together and press all political parties and candidates for their demands.