Sanguem sugarcane cultivators living in hope but dying in despair
SANGUEM: Given the uncertainty over restarting the Sanjivani Sugar factory, cane cultivators from Sanguem urged the government to clarify its stand on the matter at the earliest.
As the period fixed by the government to pay compensation to cane cultivators following the closure of the sugar factory is ending this season, Sanguem farmers for whom sugarcane cultivation was a great revenue earner, are living merely on promises with no tangible action seen on the ground.
Francisco Mascarenhas, a prominent cane cultivator pointed out that the government has failed to honour its promise of presenting an agenda for Sanjivani Sugar Factory by March 31 as that date has already lapsed.
What is heartening to note is that most of the cane cultivators have not given up on the government and have cultivated sugarcane again this year hoping that the government will come out with some solution.
While the last installment of compensation as set by the government, will be payable for the current season which will be harvested next year, what will happen after that, is anybody’s guess.
Many fear that cane cultivators in Sanguem will meet a fate similar to the mining dependents who have been living in hope since 2012 when mining industry came to a grinding halt in Goa.
“The government should come out with a clear cut policy as we farmers are at the receiving end,” said Josinho D’Costa who has been cultivating cane for the last two decades while stating that he does not know what he will do when the present crop is harvested.
Many opine that cane cultivators in Sanguem will meet the same fate as truck owners from the taluka after mining industry was closed down.
“The truck owners suffer losses every year in the hope that mining will start soon, and similarly cane farmers will continue to suffer in hope that the sugar factory will start soon,” said one farmer.
What is truly amazing is that agriculturists from Kurdi Wadem, Netravali and Molcornem have taken loans to cultivate cane in the hope that the sugar factory will start soon.
Francisco Mascarenhas who also heads the Kurdi Vividh Kari Sahakari Society disclosed that when the sugar factory was operating, they used to sanction loans of up to Rs 3 crores to farmers, but that has dwindled over the last four years, with no sign of improvement.
While admitting that there is a demand for Goan cane in neighbouring Karnataka, the cost of transporting it there makes farmers think twice. “It is unfortunate that the government is sleeping over the farmers proposal to operate the sugar factory on PPP basis for which they had even scouted a person willing to do it,” disclosed Mascarenhas.
In the present scenario, it appears that the government has gone to sleep over the matter, while the farmers from Sanguem are spending sleepless nights thinking of their future!
Source Link : https://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Sanguem-sugarcane-cultivators-living-in-hope-but-dying-in-despair/219692
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