PONDA: Worried over the future of Sugarcane farming on which their livelihood depend, farmers under the banner of the Sanjivani Sugarcane Farmers’ Association who are staging a chain sit-in protest in front of Sanjivani Sugar Factory at Dharbandora from January 2, have now decided to continue their peaceful sit-in dharna at Azad Maidan Panjim from Monday onwards. This is to remind the government to fulfil its promise given to them to start an Ethanol plant in the factory premises.
Farmers Association President Rajendra Desai along with office bearers Friday evening told media that with no response to their demand for setting up an Ethanol plant, they will stage an agitation at Panjim. He said hundreds of sugarcane farmers in cane production in Goa are in distress after the closure of the factory. He urged Goans to support their democratic agitation. They said they would continue their agitation in a democratic way till the Ethanol plant is set up.
The farmers said sugarcane is a cash crop for them and since the time the first CM Dayanand Bandodkar started the sugar factory thousands of farmers are earning their livelihood and totally depend on sugarcane production for survival of their families. Now their only source of hope is the starting of the sugar factory operations with Ethanol or any other sugarcane related production.
The President of the farmers’ association Rajendra Desai said earlier Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had expressed the inability of government to run the Ethanol plant and they were assured by government to start and Ethanol plant if farmers can appoint a contractor to run the Ethanol plant on PPP mode. Accordingly, it’s three month now that the farmers have selected a contractor who is willing to start an Ethanol plant and ready to offer Rs 1.25 crore as yearly revenue to government, but there is no approval forthcoming from government. Further its four days since they started their sit-in dharma but nobody from the government has come to talk to the farmers on their grievances.
Harshad Prabudesai said, “We will democratically stage this agitation to start Ethanol plant at Sanjivani. He said farmers’ survival is fully dependent on sugarcane production.”
They warned that until government starts the Ethanol plant they would continue the agitation and if needed would intensify it.
The farmers are worried that the government would pay them compensation for five years, but what about their future after five years, if there is no buyer for sugarcane crop. They demanded that the government clear its stance on the future of Sanjivani sugar factory.
The farmers recalled that in on July 17 2023, when farmers threatened a rastha roko they were called at CM’s bungalow and were assured that an Ethanol plant would be started, provided the farmers select a contractor to run it. But despite now contractor having submitted proposal and DPR there is no green signal for operation of the Ethanol plant which had made the farmers worried for their future.
The government temporarily closed down the sugar factory in 2019-20 and had assured to pay compensation to the farmers for five years.
