ALFRED FERNANDES
SANGUEM: With uncertainty looming large over the future of lone Sanjivani Sugar Factory, the sugarcane farmers in the State are left to ponder over the next course of action, if the Government fails to revamp the Sanjivani Sugar Factory at the earliest.
With one crushing season having already gone and another to follow in November-December, over 800 sugarcane farmers in the State still continue to be kept in the dark as to whether the Government intends in infusing new life to the Sanjivani Sugar Factory or not.
Chandan Unandkar, a prominent farmer from Sanguem informed that initially there were 900 sugarcane farmers in the State, accounting for 50,000 tonnes of sugarcane each season. However, given the uncertain future of Sanjivani Sugar Factory, the production capacity is now decreased to around 40,000 tonnes, of which Sanguem taluka alone accounts for 25000 tonnes.
The Sanjivani Sugar Factory was the brainchild of the first Chief Minister of Goa Dayanand Bandodkar. Functional since 1974, the Factory was doing extremely well in the initial years of its inception, said Francisco Mascarenhas, who added that now it has been seen as a white elephant for the last decade with the factory incurring huge losses.
The mood of the farmers changed from sugary sweet, to very bitter since the last two years after the Government failed to maintain and replace the outdated machinery with new ones.
“Shockingly, after 44 years of its existence, the State Government did not fathom the rising operational costs of the factory and continued to bleed, which resulted in farmers not getting their dues on time,” Mascarenhas added.
OUTDATED MACHINES: Old machinery replaced at cost of Rs 1.5 cr in 2013 prolonged life of the factory for few years
In 2013, the Government replaced the outdated machinery for a sum of Rs 1.5 crores. However, this did not help much and it only served to extend the life of Sanjivani Sugar Factory for some more years.
However the problems of the factory have now reached their peak with no signs of making the Factory functional under the present circumstances. A farmer stated that given the outdated machinery, a further sum of over Rs 1.5 crore needs to be spent on its maintenance, making the running of the factory a difficult task.
With the Government still not clear about its decision on the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, farmers are left wondering whether to continue with Sugarcane production or not. “While the Government managed to transport the sugarcane produce from Goa to Kolhapur in the last season at a price, it is not feasible to adopt the same practice for every season,” claimed Unandkar.
HARVEST OF UNCERTAINTY: Sanjivani shows no signs of revival, workers not available for the harvest season
The next harvest season is around the corner in November. Yet there is no sign over making the Sanjivani Sugar factory operational. “Moreover given the coronavirus pandemic, the Sugarcane farmers in the State will also not be in a position to get the labour for harvesting in the coming season,” opined Harshad Prabhudessai, a prominent sugarcane farmer.
The labourers, for harvesting sugarcane, received from neighbouring States, need to be booked at least two months in advance; and this depends largely on the decision to be taken by the Government to restart the factory and pay the farmers for their produce.
However with the Government still unclear on its decision, there is no way out for the farmers to get the crop harvested in the coming season. The only option that remains for the Government is to pay the farmers for the standing crop, which the farmers are now largely demanding from every part of Goa.
NO MORE EASY LOANS: Earlier, sugarcane farmers got loans easily, now Co-operative societies staring at loan defaults
Prabhudessai informed that unlike other crops, farmers involved in Sugarcane cultivation would quickly get loans from the Co-operative sector as the farmers would repay the loans in time after harvest. However, things are now changing fast for sugarcane farmers. But with the changing policy of the Government and with no final decision being taken on the issue, the Co-operative Societies, which had tendered loans to Sugarcane farmers, are also staring at losses along with the farmers.
DON’T LOOK FOR CLOSURE: Farmers tell Sanjivani Factory that shutting it down cannot be the solution
At a meeting held on September 3 at Wadem Sanguem and another at Rivona Sanguem, the farmers at both the places have expressed strong opposition to the Government taking any decision which may lead to the closure of Sanjivani Sugar Factory. Just like any other business in the State, the stakeholders in sugarcane farming are also likely to be forced to come on the road if the Government comes out and shuts the future of Sanjivani Sugar Factory, as well as the farmers, in the next couple of weeks.
