“There could be about 7-10% excess cane in Maharashtra than reported by the agriculture department,” said Madhav Bhandari, BJP’s chief spokesperson for Maharashtra.
“The sugar industry needs huge water and many a time, it is stolen.” He was speaking to ET on the sidelines of a function on implementing a pilot project for equitable water distribution in the Chikotra river basin of Maharashtra. “It is a myth that the sugar industry is a boon. It has used huge government money and defaulted on paying farmers their money. If it is a boon, then it is a boon only for a select few in the state,” he said. “Experts say only a limited area of Maharashtra can get irrigation. But all the irrigated area is under sugarcane and other crops are dying.” amounts of water.
“There could be about 7-10% excess cane in Maharash tra than reported by the agriculture department,“ said Madhav Bhandari, BJP's chief spo kesperson for Mah arashtra.r “The sugar indus try needs huge wa ter and many a time, it is stolen.“
He was speaking to ET on the sidelines of a function on implementing a pilot project for equitable water distribution in the Chikotra river basin of Maharashtra. “It is a myth that the sugar industry is a boon. It has used huge government money and defaulted on paying farmers their money . If it is a boon, then it is a boon only for a select few in the state,“ he said. “Experts say only a limited area of Maharashtra can get irrigation. But all the irrigated area is under sugarcane and other crops are dying.“