Farmers blocked tractors and deflated tyres of another set of such vehicles during separate protests held to demand higher purchase price for sugarcane. 

A group of farmers in Kolhapur halted tractors supplying harvested sugarcane to a mill, while another group of cultivators deflated tyres of tractors in Solapur district. Both incidents took place on Sunday night. 

The Centre has declared Rs 3,000 per tonne purchase price for sugarcane. Sugar mills have shown willingness to pay the price to cultivators but farmer leader and MP Raju Shetti has demanded a higher rate - Rs 3,400 per tonne. 

Shetti yesterday said, "Sugar mills can give a rate of Rs 3,400 per tonne. Farmers are in dire need and not agreeing to our demand will have some consequences." 

Hours after Shetti made the comments in Jaysinghpur, Kolhapur district, farmers took to streets and halted tractors supplying sugarcane to mills. 

The ban on sugar export has put stress on the finances of sugar mills but it does not mean they do not have funds to pay a better price to sugarcane cultivators, he said. 

Prices of the sweetener are low but rates of sugar byproducts have not dipped. Byproducts like ethanol and molasses are fetching good prices for sugar mills and they should pass on a part of this revenue to farmers, Shetti said.

Sanjeev Babar, MD, the Maharashtra Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, said, "If sugar mills are allowed to export excess sugar, we can pay better price to farmers. But the governments policies should be industry- friendly.