Amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Sanjivani sugar factory in Goa, sugarcane farmers in and around Sanguem taluka face an unclear future as their five-year compensation period concludes this year.
The government shut down the Sanjivani Sugar Factory in 2019 due to persistent losses and outdated machinery. However, officials promised farmers that the factory would reopen with upgraded equipment or an alternative ethanol plant would be established to address the farmers’ concerns.
At the time of the factory’s closure, the government committed to compensating farmers for five years, with payments starting at Rs 3,000 per tonne in the first year, followed by Rs 2,800 in the second year, and decreasing to Rs 2,600, Rs 2,400, and Rs 2,200 per tonne in the subsequent three years.
As the factory’s reopening remains uncertain and the compensation period nears its end, farmers are increasingly anxious about their prospects for the coming year.
As per news report by The Goan, Harshad Prabhudessai, a well-known farmer from Sanguem, has urged the government to take swift action to reopen the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, emphasizing that the livelihoods of sugarcane farmers and their families are at stake.
“If the government is not in a position to restart the factory, it should lease the same to private parties who have shown interest in taking over the factory and at the same time also pay annual rent to the Government,” Prabhudessai proposed.
With time running out, farmers who have continued to cultivate sugarcane despite the factory’s closure are calling on the government to provide a definitive decision regarding its future.
Another farmer, Francisco Mascarenhas, appealed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for more time to discuss the longstanding issue of the factory.
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