Prashant Gawas Dessai, a sugarcane farmer, has voiced strong criticism against the Goa government for shutting down the state’s only sugar factory, originally established to support local farmers. Dessai expressed his frustration after learning that the site of the closed factory may now be repurposed for an upcoming IIT project.
“I feel very bad that the Government of Goa has kept this sugar factory closed. We were encouraged to continue growing sugarcane with promises of renovation, but now we hear an IIT will come up there,” he said. The factory, built under the vision of Goa’s first Chief Minister Bahusaheb Bandodkar, was intended to uplift small farmers, Dessai added.
He questioned the role of the facilitation committee led by Narendra Sawaikar, asking whether the same body recommended demolishing the factory. “Where is the concern for farmers now?” he asked, highlighting the irony that factory staff continue to draw salaries while farmers are being blamed for the financial downturn.
“We are small farmers. How are we supposed to survive? Is running just one sugar factory too much for this government to handle?” Dessai lamented.