PANAJI
Claiming that over 900 families involved in sugarcane cultivation are fully dependent on government support for survival, sugarcane farmers from across the state have written to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, demanding an extension of the scheme providing Special Financial Assistance by five more years or until an alternative arrangement is made.
In lieu of the Dharbandora-based Sugar Factory’s closure in 2019, the government notified a scheme, “Special Assistance for Sugarcane Growers,” in 2020 for a period of five years.
The scheme is set to lapse in the current financial year 2024-25. Till last year, the government has paid around Rs 40 crore to close to 700 farmers.
“Nearly 908 families are dependent on sugarcane cultivation and the special assistance provided by the government. If the scheme is discontinued, many of the farmers will be without any earnings, and it is possible that they will have to starve, as it would be difficult for many farmers to meet their meals,” the farmers said in the letter.
“Hence, we request that the special scheme be continued for a further period of five years or until an alternative arrangement is made,” they said while appealing to the government to expedite the process of reviving the facility by setting up an ethanol manufacturing plant at the earliest.
The farmers have assured they will supply sugarcane to the ethanol project once it is commissioned.
As per data, from 2020-21 to 2023-24, the government has paid around Rs 40 crore to close to 700 farmers, while this year’s compensation is under consideration.
In the first year, 2020-21, a total of 731 farmers were paid compensation of Rs 11.83 crore, at a rate of Rs 3,000 per metric tonne. For the year 2021-22, the rate was revised to Rs 2,800 per metric tonne, under which Rs 10.28 crore were paid to 690 farmers.
In 2022-23, a total of 665 farmers were paid compensation of Rs 8.86 crore at a rate of Rs 2,600 per metric tonne, while last year, the government shelled out Rs 8.32 crore to 682 farmers. The rate fixed by the government was Rs 2,400 per metric tonne.
