Panaji: The number of sugarcane farmers and the area under cultivation in Goa have declined sharply over the past five years following the closure of the state’s only sugar factory, the Sanjivani Cooperative Sugar Factory, Gomantak reported.
The information was shared in the state assembly by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in a written reply to a question raised by MLA Venzy Viegas.
According to the data presented by the chief minister, 676 farmers were cultivating sugarcane on 546 hectares of land in the 2020–21 season. By the 2025–26 season, the number of farmers had fallen by 44 percent to 298, while the area under sugarcane cultivation had dropped by 46 percent to 254.07 hectares.
Viegas had asked the government about the decline in the number of sugarcane farmers and the reduction in the cultivation area since the closure of the factory. He had also sought details about the financial assistance provided to farmers and workers linked to the mill.
In his reply, Sawant said many farmers who stopped growing sugarcane after the factory shut down have shifted to other crops in recent years.
Farmers have started cultivating crops such as coconut, arecanut and vegetables on their land instead of sugarcane, he added.
