A 61-hour blockade of the Mumbai–Bengaluru National Highway 48 by sugarcane farmers in western Maharashtra ended early on Friday, November 6, after sugar mill owners agreed to pay an effective Rs 4,200 per tonne for cane. The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, led by former MP Raju Shetti, withdrew the agitation at the Kini toll plaza in Kolhapur district and at Nagthane in Satara district at around 1 am, and traffic on the Pune–Satara–Kolhapur stretch began returning to normal.

Source: ChiniMandi

This is a new development in the standoff Awaaz Punjab reported when the blockade began: farmers had launched road blockades on November 3 demanding a first payment of Rs 4,500 per tonne, choking a nearly 120 km stretch between Nagthane and Sangli Phata, stranding thousands of Diwali travellers and forcing the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to cancel around 100 to 130 trips over two days.

The settlement was reached at a meeting at the Kolhapur district collector's office attended by Maharashtra Minister Hasan Mushrif, representatives of sugar mill owners and members of the farmers' organisation, according to reporting by The Indian Express cited by Sabrang India. Under the formula, farmers will receive Rs 3,900 per tonne as the first instalment and Rs 100 at the end of the crushing season; the remaining Rs 200 is to be paid before the next crushing season, provided sugar prices remain stable at Rs 45 per kg.

Source: Sabrang India (citing The Indian Express)

Shetti said farmers would also receive a 70 per cent share of any additional amount if the price of sugar rises above Rs 4,500 per quintal, with mill owners retaining 30 per cent. He said he was withdrawing the protest so that commuters stranded on the highway could celebrate Diwali and police personnel could spend the festival with their families, and he apologised to affected commuters.

Shetti said it had also been decided to seek a similar settlement in Sangli and Satara districts, that the guardian ministers of those districts had been contacted, and that the Collector would issue a formal written letter on the decision. After the announcement, police cleared the toll plaza area within minutes and traffic began moving again.