SANGUEM: Sugarcane farmers from Sanguem have urged the government to revive the Sanjivani Sugar Factory at the earliest, to ensure that sugarcane cultivation in the State is not halted. A group of farmers led by prominent Sanguem-based agriculturist Harshad Prabhudessai demanded the speedy renovation of the factory on Wednesday.
Pointing out that the compensation provided to the farmers to tide them over the sugar factory’s temporary closure period will soon run out, Prabhudessai highlighted the fact that dairy farming would also be badly hit if the farmers put an end to sugarcane production.
Prabhudessai, who is also a member of All Goa Farmers Association, said, “A farmer involved in sugarcane cultivation would also invest in dairy farming as he would get enough fodder for the cattle from his sugarcane farm.”
The farmers added that the government had also assured that an ethanol plant would be installed at the Sanjivani Sugar Factory. “However, the process of establishing the ethanol plant has not even begun yet,” he added.
It is pertinent to note that many sugarcane farmers from Sanguem have switched to the cultivation of other crops, given the uncertainty of the revival of the sugar factory.
