ગુજરાતી
English
Gandhinagar, 2 June 2021
Gujarat has suffered a major setback in sugarcane production. Ever since the BJP-led Modi and Rupani government came to power, the BJP government has been responsible for making sweet sugarcane bitter. Gujarat has become backward in sugarcane production and sugar production. Production in the country is increasing by 38 percent annually, but due to anti-farmer policies, production is decreasing in Gujarat. Sugar mills are being closed. There is not even a single sugar factory in Saurashtra. The two were closed.
22 sugar mills produced 13.69 lakh tonnes of sugar 12 years ago. Which has come down continuously to just 10 lakh tonnes. This has been going on for the last 20 years. It was Keshubhai Patel’s last government that boosted sugar production so well. But then one year came in the government of Modi and Rupani when only 8.77 lakh tonnes of sugar was produced. In fact, with the coming of the Narmada scheme, the Chekina production should have increased to two million tonnes.
new search closed
For the last 15 years, the percentage of sugar produced from sugarcane has been 10.50 percent. This literally means that neither the government nor the agricultural universities have paid attention to the search for varieties that can yield more sugar in cane.
6 found off
Six out of 20 sugar mills have been closed. Two sugar mills have also closed in Saurashtra. All the sugar mills are located in South Gujarat. Since BJP leaders have an anti-farmer mentality, they do not give any importance to sugarcane.
Narmada dam was of no use
After the Narmada dam, the number of sugar mills should have increased from 20 to 40. If farmers were given regular water in 20 lakh hectares by making canals up to the field, then the production of 10 lakh tons of sugar could have been increased to 20 lakh tons. But the truth is that it has not happened, it means that the Narmada project is not even 50 percent successful.
When the Narmada project was started in 2001, 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane was maturing. Now it has come down to a mere 103 lakh tonnes. Thus after the completion of the Narmada project, 250 lakh tonnes of sugarcane should have been harvested.
The country ahead
India’s sugar production has increased from 216.13 lakh tonnes to 258.68 lakh tonnes in 2021, an increase of 42.55 lakh tonnes – 20 percent from 330 sugar mills as of 15 March. At the end of the year, sugar production increased by 38% on 15 May 2021.
Out of 140 sugar mills in Maharashtra, 94.05 lakh tonnes of sugar was produced. Which was 55.05 lakh tonnes last year. Sugar production in Karnataka increased from 33.35 lakh tonnes to 41.35 lakh tonnes.
Two sugar mills closed in Gujarat. On 15 March 2021, 15 mills produced 8.49 lakh tonnes of sugar. Which was 7.78 lakh tonnes in 2020. The Department of Agriculture was responsible for harvesting 161 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in 2020-21.
low productivity
In Maharashtra 81 thousand kg, in Kerala 1 lakh kg and in Gujarat 70 thousand kg per hectare of sugarcane is grown. Thus Gujarat has lagged behind in sugarcane production.
