Sharad Pawar alleges that the present central government does not see the farmers getting extra
Ahmednagar: ‘In the past, there was a church in the central government which was aware of the issues of the farmers. This is no longer the case. On the contrary, if the farmers start getting more than two paise, they will not see the present central government. So when the money starts to fall into the hands of the farmers, the policies change. Exports of both sugar and wheat are still restricted as farmers are expected to earn a good living. This will cause loss to the farmers and the entire central government is responsible for this, ‘alleged senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar.
Pawar was speaking at a program organized at Bodhegaon (Tal. Shevgaon) in Ahmednagar district. Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had remotely participated in the event. The event was held on Monday at Babanrao Dhakne Co-operative Sugar Factory in Shevgaon taluka. The book ‘Babanrao Dhakne from Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’ on the life of former Union Minister Babanrao Dhakne was released and the ground breaking ceremony of the factory’s ethanol production project was held. Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif, factory president Adv. Prataprao Dhakne, Chairman of Buldhana Urban Bank Radheshyam Chandak, MLA Nilesh Lanka, Sangram Jagtap, Narendra Ghule, Chandrasekhar Ghule were present on the occasion. Pawar, however, did not comment on the issue of surplus sugarcane. Two farmers from Shevgaon taluka and neighboring Beed district have committed suicide due to non-receipt of sugarcane. The farmers present expressed their displeasure as Pawar conveniently sidestepped the issue.
While reviewing the sugar industry, Pawar criticized the challenges ahead and the policies of the central government. Pawar said, ‘Dhananjayrao Gadgil, Annasaheb Shinde, Padma Shri Dr. It took place in Ahmednagar district through the efforts of Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil. In the past, the central government was aware of farmers. When we were in power at the Center, decisions were being made in the interest of the farmers. Now the farmers are suffering as wrong decisions are being taken. Due to the changing situation, sugarcane growers and mills need to focus on ethanol, alcohol and power generation instead of relying solely on sugar. It will also benefit the farmers, ‘said Pawar.
Speaking remotely, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that Nitin Gadkari did not come for the event in Bodhegaon, but he interacted online. Gadkari said, “While the country needs 260 lakh tonnes of sugar, it has produced more than 360 lakh tonnes. So the math of the sugar business has gone awry. Although we have benefited from sugar exports due to the recent drought in Brazil, this is not always possible. So different solutions have to be found. The government is trying to run all vehicles on ethanol in the future. The country produces 4.5 billion liters of ethanol. Even if you use twenty percent of it, it will be of great benefit. Only farmers will get good money from it, ‘said Gadkari.
