Kendrapara, Odisha: Sugarcane farmers in the district are turning away from cane cultivation due to scarcity of water, lack of mandis, and sugar mills, reports Orissa Post.
The area under cane cultivation has come down to 1000 hectares from 15,000 hectares in the past. As per the media report, the lack of proper water management policy, the absence of sugar mills are the reason for the current situation.
The sugarcane farmers are facing problems in the cultivation of the crop due to these problems and the senior farmers state that the issue can be resolved by empowering farmers with modern agricultural practices and construction of canals by linking rivers for irrigation.
Farmers are now shifting from cane cultivation to pigeon pea and sunflower cultivation to earn their livelihood.
The yearly requirement of sugar in the state is around 2.21 lakh MT and the government should take steps to promote cane cultivation to meet the demand, said farmers leader Duryodhan Sahu.
