Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh: The reopening of cooperative sugar mills in Andhra Pradesh was a key electoral promise. However, there is no action yet on this commitment, reported The Times of India.
Farmers argue that leaders from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assured them during the last assembly election that the shuttered mills would be revived once they came to power.
“In 2014, Andhra Pradesh had 29 sugar mills, including 10 cooperative and 19 private mills. Today, only five remain operational—one cooperative mill in Govada, Anakapalle district, and four private mills,” said Karri Appa Rao, president of the AP Sugarcane Farmers’ Sangam. He noted that the closure of most mills was due to the inability of successive governments to resolve issues faced by both management and farmers.
The shutdown of these mills has severely impacted sugarcane cultivation, especially in coastal Andhra and the Rayalaseema districts. Farmers argue that the lack of government intervention has led to a drastic reduction in cane production, affecting both growers and factory operations. “Governments have repeatedly failed to revive sugar factories, and neither farmers nor the factories are benefitting from the current situation,” some farmers stated.
Meanwhile, Appa Rao raised concerns about the future of the remaining cooperative sugar mill. “Forget reopening the closed mills—some political leaders are actively trying to shut down the only surviving cooperative mill in Govada to make way for a distillery plant, disregarding the interests of sugarcane farmers,” he alleged.
Farmers also criticized the government for failing to provide financial support to cooperative mills while managements have yet to clear outstanding payments to farmers. “Sugarcane farming was once a dominant practice in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of Rayalaseema, but state government negligence has led to a steady decline in cultivation,” they said.
“The NDA leaders had promised to revive sugar mills and establish agri-based ethanol units to benefit farmers. However, nothing has been done so far. If the government continues to neglect this issue, even the remaining sugar mills in the state might shut down,” warned B. Govind, a sugarcane farmer from the Anakapalle region.
