Behrampur, Odisha: Following the announcement of a state task force to revive the struggling Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Limited (ACSIL), sugarcane farmers in Ganjam district have urged the government to provide better facilities and fair pricing to boost production.
On Tuesday, Mohan Majhi, the chief minister ordered the formation of a multi-departmental task force comprising senior officers from the agriculture department, cooperative department, excise department, finance department as well as water resources to study sugar mill scenarios of other states and chart out a plan to revive ACSIL.
“It’ll be only when they get some guarantee in terms of irrigation facility and a fair price, the input subsidy, that’s likely to bring them back sugarcane cultivation for sure,” said Sameer Pradhan, president Ganjam District Sugarcane Growers Association. The association urged increased rates for sugarcane produced from to Rs 4,500 per tonne.
The chief minister has also directed officials to increase sugarcane production, ensure fair prices, and guarantee timely payments to farmers as part of the revival plan.
