Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Limited (ACSIL) has targeted to support sugarcane cultivation in around 10,000 acres in Odisha's Ganjam district. This is 1300 acres more than the cultivated area previous year.
Last year, the sugarcane was grown in 8707 acres of land in the district. While the sugarcane in large areas was destroyed due to the cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods, a technical expert team which met on Monday decided to replace the seed in around 4000 acres with supply of subsidised seeds by the government.
The government has announced subsidy of Rs 4000 per tonne and decided to provide 50,000 tonnes of seeds to the district.
Similarly, the government has also declared Rs 3000 per acre as input subsidy for sugarcane plantation. The input subsidy would be provided in terms of the seeds, the committee decided.
The expert committee has estimated the subsidy kitty at about Rs 23 lakh for the sugarcane growers. While 10 percent of the total subsidy (Rs 2.30 lakh) will be given by the sugar industry, the rest 90 percent would be borne by the government, said managing director of the factory Trilochan Majhi.
He urged the agriculture department to release the subsidy amount as early as possible to undertake the plantation.
Ganjam district sugarcane growers' association (GDSGA), which was agitating demanding special package for the Phaili hit sugarcane growers, expressed dissatisfaction over the government's announcement.
"The announcement made by the government is nothing new. It was being given by the government for the last two years. We want the government should come out with a special package for the cane growers", said the vice president of GDSGA, Naryan Jena.
