PONDA: Sugarcane farmers on Wednesday continued with their sit-in protest in front of Sanjivani Sugar Factory demanding the government immediately start the ethanol plant besides claiming to have received support from farmers and other sections of the society from across the State.
Sanjivani Sugarcane Farmers’ Association president Rajendra Desai said the agitation would continue till the government restarts the factory operations.
Desai said on Wednesday they met the factory’s administrator Satej Kamat and requested him to immediately send their demands to the government and sought urgent feedback. The administrator assured the farmers to send their demands to the government.
Rajendra Desai said sugarcane farmers have received support from Maharashtra Farmers’ Association. Its president Ragunath Patil has backed the agitating farmers to make their protest successful. He even assured to bring more support from Maharashtra and if needed, even farmers from across the country.
Congress president Amit Patkar visited the site and assured all support in starting the ethanol Plant.
Patkar said the government has done injustice on cane farmers as sugarcane is their only source of livelihood.
He assured that the Congress leaders and MLAs would raise this issue in the coming assembly session.
He said that the first priority of Congress is to start the ethanol plant.
Meanwhile, women farmers from Wadem Colony in Sanguem joined the farmers’ agitation. They said that this is only a cash crop and their source of livelihood.
The farmers claimed that they have no other business and most farmers have no jobs.
“We will intensify agitation if the government remains silent on the issue. It will continue till the government restarts the factory,” they warned.