Team Herald
PONDA: With no clarity on Sanjivani factory’s future, the sugarcane farmers have convened an urgent meeting next week to take concrete action with regards to prevailing situation and pending bills.
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The farmers are worried about their future as the factory is neither open nor closed for them and want the government to clarify on the factory’s future.
Over the past 46 years, around 1500 farmers were dependent on the factory for livelihood. Sugarcane being the cash crop, many farmers preferred sugarcane cultivation and Sanjivani was major source of earning for them.
According to Sugarcane Farmers’ Association president Rajendra Desai, the government made several promises to them at the meeting held in January this year, but they have remained unfulfilled till date. The government has neither closed the factory nor it is operating it for the crushing season.
“We had in past submitted a plan to government about the compensation to be provided to farmers in case of closure including informing them well in advance about its closure. However, there is no clarity on Sanjivani’s future as the livelihood of sugarcane farmers depends on it. The payment towards supply of sugarcane is also pending for past few months and only 30 per cent dues have been cleared,” he said.
“Due to pending payments, farmers are facing difficulties and are in a dilemma on whether to cultivate sugarcane or not. Further, with no cultivation, their livelihood will be hit hard. Therefore, farmers want clarity from the government on Sanjivani’s future. The farmers have convened an urgent meeting to discuss the situation on account of no crushing season and pending bills”, he added.
It may be recalled that last year, the government did not have the crushing season and had promised the farmers that it would take responsibility to buy their sugarcane and supply it to Karnataka-based factory.
The Government last year had even promised them to renovate the factory, grow more sugarcane and in case of any decision on closure that they would be taken into confidence. However, since there is no sign of renovation, the farmers have been demanding the commencement of next sugarcane crushing season at Sanjivani and even refused to send their sugarcane produce to the Karnataka-based factory.
Recently, the Administrator during a meeting with the farmers informed them about the factory closure and that a new sugar factory was not possible. However, later that day, the government clarified that it had no plans to close the factory.
