Goemkarponn Desm
CANACONA: Blaming government for arbitrarily closing down the Sanjivani Sugar Factory, Sugarcane growers has called for an enquiry into the Sugarcane Scam of the Sugarcane cultivated by Goa’s Sugarcane farmers.
‘We are demanding with the government to hold a proper and total Enquiry into where the sugarcane produced by Goa’s farmers in the year 2017-18 have gone. We need a Vigilance enquiry, an ED Enquiry or CBI Enquiry, and a total enquiry as to where this Tones of sugarcane produced by Sugarcane Farmers had gone! ‘Facilitation Committee member Prashant Purushottam Gaun Dessai said.
Addressing a press meet in Canacona, Gauns Dessai, informed, permission is taken to transport Goa’s Sugarcane produce to one factory, and how the sugarcane reached to another factory.
‘How it has sugarcane reached Maharashtra factories, who sent it,and where and for what the black-marketing and Dalali took place. Out of the 198 farmers only few got some of the money while others didn’t got anything . Many of these sugarcane farmers are hailing from Canacona, Sanguem, Darbondora, Quepem. We wants to know, how much money given to how many farmers, and how many are not given’
Flanked by farmer (from Canacona ) Dayanand Phaldessai and another farmer who is Son of late Zilu Monu Gaonkar (ex-director of Sanjivani Sugar factory), Gauns Dessai, blamed the government that there is no control on factory, nor anyone is willing to take initiative to restore the factory.
Government has closed the Sanjivani Sugar Factory arbitrarily, left the Sugarcane farmers unemployed, farmers cultivation was reduced to wastage, and on the top this Goa government have made attempts to cheat and demean the farmers.’
‘Government should investigate this sugarcane Scam. Every sugarcane farmer is registered alongwith the area and survey numbers cultivated and still how one of the facilitation members turned a contractor and transported the sugarcane illegally, Who had authorised the person for harvesting the cultivation, etc only an vigilance enquiry should be able to throw a light on this scam.
When asked if any complaint is lodged with the government of Director of Agriculture, Gauns Dessai, ‘‘We are yet to complain, however we have submitted everything to the government and are awaiting report from the government, we will meet governor, we will report to Prime Minister and also we are prepared to meet the CM, as of now we have not even given complaint to Agriculture department , we are just alerting sugarcane famers by holding press conferences. Pointing out to a member, Gaundessai, informed ‘He says in the fields supposed to provide 80 tones, not even 3 tones of sugarcane is coming, I am asking how it will come, when farmers don’t have money atall’.
Speaking further Gaundessai informed, ‘We need support of all party’s to put pressure/burden on government for this andolan/agitation.
According Gaundessai, there 956 Sugarcane cultivators (2017-18), 759 hectares under cultivation with a tonnage of 49541 (2017-18), while 764 hectares of Sugarcane was harvested yielding 47159 metric tones including 84 Sugarcane cultivators in
55 hactares with a n output of 40 tones of 2974 metric tones in Canacona.
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