Goa agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai said Friday his department will make "limited intervention" to help sugarcane farmers who are demanding better rates from the government-run Sanjivani Sugar Factory.
Sardesai chaired a meeting of factory officials, Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar and farmer leaders here.
Farmers in South Goa's Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona talukas are shunning sugarcane cultivation because of the way the factory is functioning, farmer leaders said.
"The subject comes under the Department of Cooperative Societies, which is headed by the Chief Minister. I will also discuss the issues with the CM," Sardesai told reporters.
The factory is located at Dharbandora in South Goa.
Farmer leaders stated in the meeting that the factory was supposed to start the crushing season early this month but it hasn't.
"The factory is in ICU, we need to get it out of ICU," the minister said.
The factory requires a share capital of Rs 10 crore, he added.
Farmers are demanding harvesting charges of Rs 600 per tonne instead of the current Rs 200 per tonne, he said.
"Except for the support price givenby the agriculture department, we have no role to play in it. It is entirely with Minister of Cooperative Societies, which is the chief minister," Sardesai said.
"Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar had approached me....I will be doing a limited intervention in the matter by slightly increasing the harvesting price, and also slightly increasing the minimum support price," the minister said.
"But we have to consider what are precedents at national level. I have told the department to submit a report by this evening."
The government will ensure that the factory starts by the end of this month, he said.
MLA Gaonkar said thatfrom Sanguem taluka 35,000 tonnes of sugarcane is sent to the factory annually. "We are the biggest sugarcane provider to the factory. But the harvesting price needs to be increased," he said.
"We want to bring more area under sugarcane but irrigation facilities are very poor," he said.
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