Vizianagaram: Sugarcane cultivation in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district has fallen sharply following the closure of two major sugar factories, leaving farmers with limited options to sell their produce, The New Indian Express reported.
The decline began after Sri Vijayarama Gajapathi Cooperative Sugars Ltd, popularly known as the Bhimasingi sugar factory in Jami mandal, was shut down in 2019-20 in the name of modernisation. A few months later, NCS Sugars Ltd, located in Seethanagaram mandal, also stopped operations, citing financial losses in sugar production.
With both factories closed, district officials directed farmers to supply their sugarcane to E.I.D. – Parry (India) Limited at Sankili village in Srikakulam district. However, growers say transporting cane to Sankili has increased their expenses, making cultivation less viable.
As a result, the area under sugarcane cultivation in the district has dropped to around 1,000 acres this year from more than 30,000 acres earlier.
Sugarcane was one of the key crops in the district after paddy and maize. The presence of two major factories – NCS Sugars Ltd at Latchayyapeta and the cooperative-run Bhimasingi factory -had supported large-scale cultivation for years.
While NCS Sugars Ltd was privately operated, the Bhimasingi unit functioned under a cooperative model managed by farmers. Together, the two mills sustained sugarcane farming across tens of thousands of acres.
After the closure of the Bhimasingi factory by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2019-20 and the subsequent shutdown of NCS Sugars Ltd in 2021, sugarcane cultivation has steadily declined, affecting the livelihoods of farmers in the region.
