Everycooperative movement starts with a good intention and zeal, but somewhere downthe years, it loses steam as members become non-cooperative. Similar is thecase with the Sanjivani sugar factory. The sugarcane farmers after undergoingseveral hardships get their yield to the factory but haven't been able to gettheir eligible due. Adding to their woes is the uncertainty over the factory'ssurvival in this bleak time. The farmers and the government need to bury thehatchet and egos and take steps to save the sugar industry in Goa. If thissordid saga continues then the winners would be Karnataka and Maharashtra asthe Goan farmers would not have any say on the pricing fixed by these states.Also, now that a part of the river Mhadei has been diverted into the Malaprabhabasin, the sugarcane cultivation would flourish in Karnataka while it woulddwindle or be stopped in Goa due to lack of water. Why only sugarcane (whichguzzles copious water) but even farming and horticulture could take a big hitin Goa. It is time for the government to step in and bail out the farmers.After all, we need to be atma nirbhar (self-reliant) and not fully depend on orbe at the mercy of other states for sugar, vegetables and fruits. Let there bea sweet ending to the muddle created by vested interests at the Sanjivani sugarfactory.
