Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The prolonged closure of the Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (SSSKL) at Dayanandnagar, Dharbandora has led to a sharp decline in sugarcane cultivation in Goa, with the number of farmers dropping by more than 50 percent over the past five years.
According to information tabled in the Legislative Assembly, the number of farmers cultivating sugarcane in Goa has steadily declined from 676 farmers cultivating 546 hectares in 2020-21 to 298 farmers cultivating 254.07 hectares in 2025-26.
The data was provided in response to an Unstarred Legislative Assembly Question raised by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and answered by Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Pramod Sawant.
The government acknowledged that the closure of the lone sugar factory has led to a “significant drop” in sugarcane cultivation. However, it stated that many farmers have shifted to alternative crops such as vegetables, oil palm, arecanut and coconut.
The state government is currently making a third attempt to redevelop the Sanjivani sugar factory through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The proposal involves setting up a new plant with a minimum sugarcane crushing capacity of 3,500 tonnes per day (TCD) and establishing a distillery capable of producing at least 75 KLPD of ethanol or Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA). The last date for submission of bids was March 4, 2026.
Earlier revival attempts failed to attract investors. In October 2022, two bids were received but both were rejected as they did not meet the required technical and financial criteria. In a second attempt in 2024, the application deadline was extended three times, but no bidders submitted proposals.
The redevelopment plan will be implemented in two phases. Phase I, to be completed within one year of signing the agreement, aims to modernise the existing plant with a crushing capacity of 1,250 tonnes per day and establish a 30 KLPD ethanol distillery or ENA bottling unit. Phase II, to be completed within seven years, proposes full expansion to 3,500 TCD crushing capacity and a 75 KLPD distillery.
Meanwhile, the government has been providing financial assistance to sugarcane farmers under the Crop Husbandry scheme. The support price for sugarcane has decreased over the years from Rs 3,000 per metric tonne in 2020-21 to Rs 2,200 per metric tonne in 2024-25, with payments to farmers amounting to several crores during the period.
Financial aid has also been provided to factory workers, including Rs 743.60 lakh in 2021-22, Rs 562.94 lakh in 2022-23, Rs 543.83 lakh in 2023-24 and Rs 520.94 lakh in 2024-25, along with Rs 395.78 lakh disbursed in 2025-26 so far.
The government stated that processing of sugarcane will restart once the bidding process for redevelopment is finalized and the project is implemented within the stipulated timelines.
