SANGUEM: The sugarcane cultivators from Sanguem on Sunday decided to meet soon after the lockdown to chalk out the future course of action over the matter concerning cultivation of sugarcane.
The State government has failed to revamp the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, at Usgao, so far, as promised by Minister for Civil Supplies and Cooperation Govind Gaude.
Farmers also criticised the government for the inordinate delay caused in payment for the sugarcane supplied in the last season and also urged for immediate solution to the problems faced by the sugarcane cultivators who could not harvest their plantation in time for want of labour and due to lockdown problems.
At a meeting held at Kurdi Wadem, the farmers resolved to meet on May 24 at Kurdi Wadem to decide on the future course of action concerning the future of sugarcane cultivators in the State which is hard hit since the abrupt closure of the lone Sanjivani Sugar Factory by the government.
Sarpanch of Kurdi Wadem Panchayat Kushta Gaonkar informed that the government alone cannot decide on the future of the Sanjivani Sugar Factory without taking all the stakeholders into confidence.
“The sugarcane cultivators are the main stakeholders in the running of the sugar factory and whatever decision the government takes in respect of the factory should be only after taking the sugarcane cultivators into confidence,” claimed Gaonkar. It is highly appalling that though Gaonkar had earlier assured of new installation of the new machinery at the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, things now seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
“Considering the present scenario and the talks going on with the government agencies, the government seems to be on the verge of permanent closure of Sanjivani Sugar Factory,” claimed Gaonkar adding further that they will not allow this to happen but instead oppose any move by the government to close down the sugar factory.
“The government should immediately convene a public meeting of all the stakeholders before any decision is taken as the sugarcane cultivators are presently kept in dark over the decisions taken by the government,” Gaonkar added.
Unlike other crop cultivators, sugarcane cultivators cannot change their crop overnight, claimed an Agriculturist Chandan Unandkar.
While addressing the gathering Unandkar informed that with majority of the farmers at Wadem, Neturlim and Valkini being solely dependent on sugarcane plantation, the villagers residing in these villages most of whom are Selaulim evacuees will have hard time in carrying on with their livelihood if the government closes the Sanjivani Sugar Factory permanently.
Unandkar also pointed out that the plots allocated to the Selaulim evacuees at Wadem and Valkini are good only for cultivation of sugarcane and no other crop.
Moreover, given the assurance by Minister for Civil Supplies and Cooperation Govind Gaude that the Sanjivani Sugar Factory will not be closed, the sugarcane cultivators have already gone for cultivation of fresh crop and the same has already come up with the cultivators spending huge sum of money on fertilizer, labour and procurement of seeds.
