PANAJI
Speaking to The Goan Everyday, Sanguem-based sugarcane farmer and vice-president of Goa Oos Utpadak Sangh Harshad Prabhudesai said, “Definitely the increased support price will help the farmers by getting return on the cultivated sugarcane. But if it is paid in a timely manner, it will help in increasing sugarcane productivity. Nonetheless, the farmer can invest this money received for investing into modern farming techniques which yield better produce.”
“Sugarcane being a cash crop, the Government should at least provide 75 per cent of the amount within one month of supply of sugarcane. Presently, the amount is received somewhere in the month of May,” he added further.
Presently, the major chunk of money spent by sugarcane farmers is on labour, which varies from Rs 400 to Rs 900 per tonne.
Pernem-based farmer and Akhil Gomantak Shetkari Mahasangh President Uday Prabhudesai said, “If one looks at the economics, the lone sugar factory in the State used to pay us Rs 1,200 per tonne, while the government used to pay
Rs 1,300 as the support price. Sometimes the conditions were such that the farmers have even received the payments for support price even after one year. If the farmer wanted to
invest this amount into farming activities to increase the yield, it was not possible. The returns too used to be low.”
Nonetheless, he said, “If this support price is increased upto Rs 3,600, sugarcane farming can become a reliable business. Secondly, if timely payment of subsidies and support prices are done by the government, it would help the farmer in increasing the yield.”
In the Budget 2017-18, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has proposed to enhance the assured price for sugarcane from existing Rs 2,500 per ton to Rs 3,000 per tonne.
Additionally, it has also been proposed to implement modified Sustainable Sugarcane Initiatives (SSI) for new cultivation of sugarcane in an area of 100 hactares with a provision of subsidy of Rs 10,000 per hectare.
During the year 2016-17, the State Government has paid assured price to 952 farmers amounting to
Rs 6.61 crore at Rs 2,500
per tonne.
