NCP supremo and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar refused to link the increase in area under cane cultivation in Marathwada to the ongoing water crisis in the region. Pawar said the severe water crisis was a result of continuous failure of monsoon for the last two-three years.
At a special meeting of the chairmen and managing directors of sugar mills held in Pune on Thursday, Pawar said Marathwada had been cultivating cane for the last 20 years.
“We never had any complaints of drought. This year’s drought is due to the failure of rains, and not due to cane,” he said.
His comments come at a time when the increase in area under water-guzzling sugarcane in parched Marathwada is being singled out by environmentalists and water experts for the crisis in the region. A few days ago, Revenue and Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse had come down heavily on the sugar mills in Marathwada and said the government would not allow any new mill to come up in the region in the next five years. Last year, Khadse had opined that mills in Marathwada should not be allowed to go for crushing as it could lead to water crisis.
Pawar said a scientific study was being conducted by the Pune-based Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), which would address all concerns regarding cane cultivation in water-stressed region. “It will be wrong to blame cane for the water crisis. But yes, mills need to ensure more and more area comes under drip irrigation, which will save water,” he said.
Asked about Khadse’s statement of not allowing any new mill in Marathwada, Pawar said he agreed to it. He said the condition of the sugar industry was not conducive to new mills. The NCP chief said the mills not going for drip irrigation en masse was due to budgetary constraints from the Central government. As the crushing season for the year 2015-16 comes to an end, prices of retail sugar has seen a rise. Pawar said this had concerned the Central government. “Millers are complaining of non-lifting of their stock by traders. I will meet the Central government and ask it to buy sugar from the millers at the price offered by the traders,” he said. The Centre, Pawar said, was thinking of either imposing a stock limit for millers or going for import duty to compel the sugar millers to sell their stock. A special meeting in this regard would be held in Delhi next week, he said. Minister for Cooperation Chandrakant Patil, who was also present during the meeting, urged millers to clear the unpaid dues to cane growers, which as of April 15 stands at around Rs 3,000 crore. The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has warned of stir in case the dues are not paid by May 1.