In a renewed effort to bring back the long-closed Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (SSSK), Goa’s only sugar mill, shuttered since 2019, the State government has announced a Rs 130 crore redevelopment plan under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, reported The Goan news portal.
The government has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting bidders to modernise the factory and expand operations. Under the plan, the upgraded plant will feature a minimum crushing capacity of 3,500 tons of sugarcane per day (TCD), a 75 KLPD ethanol distillery, an ENA bottling unit, and even a petrol pump on-site, as per the news report.
The RFP specifies that the Directorate of Agriculture intends to redevelop the facility on a Design, Finance, Build, Operate, and Transfer (DFBOT) basis. “The aim is to shortlist suitable bidders through a transparent and competitive process to carry out the full redevelopment of the SSKL facility,” the document states.
The project will span 2.4 lakh square metres of land, with online submissions due by January 6, 2026, and physical submissions by January 8, 2026.
Currently, sugarcane cultivation in Goa covers around 550 hectares, producing roughly 60,000 tons annually. Before its closure in 2019, the factory supplemented local supplies by sourcing cane from neighbouring states.
Attempts to revive the mill in the past have failed. In 2022, both bidders in the RFQ stage were disqualified, and in 2024, no bids were received at all.
The factory’s prolonged shutdown has hit the farming community hard. Over 700 sugarcane farmers have been left in uncertainty for more than four years. Many have shifted to alternative crops, while others have significantly reduced or abandoned sugarcane cultivation entirely due to the lack of a functioning mill.
With the new redevelopment proposal and updated feasibility study, the State hopes to position Sanjivani to meet global sugar market demands, including the production of high-value sugar varieties and ethanol, offering a renewed ray of hope to Goa’s struggling sugarcane farmers.
