Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The State government has launched a renewed push to revive the Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (SSSK), Goa’s only sugar factory which has remained shut since 2019. A new feasibility study, carried out by a private agency with global expertise, has recommended repositioning the factory in line with market demand by focusing on premium products such as organic sugar, sulphur-free sugar, and jaggery. Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the government is preparing to float a nationwide tender by the end of September to set up an integrated sugar and distillery unit, with ethanol production also being considered in a subsidiary form. Past attempts to restart the mill have failed—two bidders expressed interest in 2022 but did not qualify, while in 2024 no bids were received. The prolonged closure has badly affected more than 700 sugarcane farmers, whose production has plunged from a peak of 47,000 tonnes to just 10,000 tonnes, most of which is sent to mills in Karnataka and Maharashtra without any profit. A 21-member Sugarcane Farmers Facilitation Committee has endorsed the revival plan and suggested strengthening ethanol production, supporting jaggery-making units, and helping cultivators adopt high-yield varieties. To cushion growers in the interim, the government has introduced a two-year procurement scheme under which cane is purchased at the Centre’s Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), with procurement handled by a state-appointed agency and payments made directly to farmers. With the fresh tender expected shortly and a greater emphasis on value-added products, the government hopes to revive the defunct unit and restore sugarcane cultivation in Goa on a sustainable footing.
