NT Reporter
Panaji
Goa has witnessed a sharp decline in sugarcane cultivation over the last five years, with almost 45 per cent fewer farmers growing the crop and a corresponding drop in the area under cultivation, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the State
Legislative Assembly.
According to the data tabled in the ongoing assembly session, 676 farmers cultivated sugarcane in over 546 hectares of land in 2021-22. By 2025-26, the number of farmers had fallen to 298, with the cultivated area shrinking to 254.07 hectares. The figures over the intervening years show a steady decline – 584 farmers on 473 hectares in 2022-23;
577 farmers on 454.66 hectares in 2023-24, and 497 farmers on 381.04 hectares in 2024-25.
The government noted that many farmers have shifted to alternative crops such as vegetables, oil palm, arecanut, and coconut.
Special assistance was provided to sugarcane growers from 2020-21 to 2024-25 to support the sector.
The Directorate of Agriculture also highlighted that land belonging to the Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (sugar factory) has been allocated for other purposes, including 2 lakh sqm for the National Forensic University, 750 sqm for road widening from NH-748 to educational institutes, and 1,500 sqm for a groundwater reservoir by the Public Works Department.
The government has proposed redevelopment of the existing sugar factory to enhance crushing capacity to at least 3,500 TCD for syrup production as raw material for a proposed distillery, ENA bottling plant, and/or ethanol production of not less than 75 KLPD under a PPP model.
