The Gowada Sugar Factory plays a crucial role in the region's agricultural economy. Within its operational area, 32,000 acres of sugarcane are cultivated by 23,000 farmers. The factory has a crushing capacity of 500,000 tonnes annually or over 4,500 tonnes daily. However, frequent interruptions in crushing operations have left farmers in a precarious position.
Visakhapatnam: In a protest, Rongali Venkatarao, a farmer from Kothapenta village in Devarapalli mandal of Anakapalle district set his sugarcane field on fire, expressing frustration over the lack of a fair support price for sugarcane and the inadequate crushing operations at the Gowada Sugar Factory.
The Gowada Sugar Factory plays a crucial role in the region's agricultural economy. Within its operational area, 32,000 acres of sugarcane are cultivated by 23,000 farmers. The factory has a crushing capacity of 500,000 tonnes annually or over 4,500 tonnes daily. However, frequent interruptions in crushing operations have left farmers in a precarious position.
The incident highlighted the challenges faced by sugarcane farmers and workers in the region. After meeting Venkatarao and witnessing the dire situation, Anakapalle district CPM leader D. Venkanna stated, “The factory’s future has become uncertain as the government is not supporting the only sugar factory operating in the cooperative sector in the state.” He warned that the factory’s closure would leave farmers and workers across 11 mandals without a viable crop outlet.
