the goan I network
PANAJI
Cooperation Minister Govind Gaude on Wednesday assured sugarcane farmers that the government will continue to support them next year if the crushing work at the Sanjivani sugar factory does not resume. The minister thus appealed to farmers to cultivate sugarcane without holding back.
“We are sure that the Sanjivani sugar factory re-building work will be completed by next year, but in case the factory work does not resume, then the government will continue to support sugarcane farmers from Goa,” said Gaude.
This year, the lone Sanjivani sugar factory was closed down due to huge loss and the government has decided to re-build a new factory by next year. However, farmers are apprehensive whether the new plant will be commissioned next year or
not. The farmers raised their apprehensions before Gaude in a meeting held on Wednesday. Farmers from South Goa’s Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona talukas were present at the meeting.
If the farmers decide to go ahead and cultivate the crop, cultivation must begin from December or January.
As sugarcane cultivation involves lots of time and large sums of money, the farmers have demanded a written
assurance from the government before they invest in a fresh crop.
Meanwhile, the government has made arrangements to send this year’s sugarcane harvest to a factory in another state.
Gaude also accepted the farmers demand to weigh the sugarcane at Sanjivani sugar factory itself and assured that the Sanjivani factory will make guaranteed payment to farmers. Besides this, the minister also assured farmers that their demand to increase harvesting subsidy from Rs 200 will be considered. Farmers have demanded that the subsidy should be increased to Rs 1000.
Gaude was confident that a new full-fledged sugar factory worth Rs 100 crore will be operational in the state by the next sugarcane harvesting season.
The new plant will also produce ethanol. He also spelt the possibility of using the sugar factory to produce other products such as ethanol.
It may be recalled that Goa farmers usually sent around 35,000 tonnes of sugarcane to the factory annually.
Gaude agreed to our demand to weigh cane in Goa: Farmers
PONDA: The Goa Sugarcane Producers Association (GSPA) has said Cooperation Minster Govind Gawde had agreed to its demands to weigh their sugarcane in Goa itself and to pay their bills, before sending their cane to neighbouring states.
The was stated by GSPA President Rajendra Dessai at a news conference in Ponda on Wednesday.
Chief Minster Pramod Sawant on Wednesday had announced that while the Sanjivani Sugar Factory would not start this season, the government would procure sugarcane from local producers and would sell it to sugar factories in Karnataka.
Sugarcane producers had been in a dilemma over arrangements by the State government to purchase their cane.
According to the farmers, sugarcane in Goa is ready for harvesting and they were awaiting the State government’s decision in the matter.
The farmers said they were initially informed that after harvesting, their cane would be sent to Karnataka, where it would be weighed.
As the government had not cleared the bills of sugarcane growers in Khanapur from the previous season, the GSPA had written a letter to the government, requesting that their sugarcane be weighed in Goa and payments be made accordingly.
“Gaude accepted our demand and has assured us that the government will do every thing to protect the interest of sugarcane growers in the State,” said Dessai.
“The minister also appealed to sugarcane farmers to work hard to bring additional land under sugarcane production. Our association has also appealed to farmers unable to cultivate to allow other farmers to cultivate their land,” Dessai told the media.
