Sugarcane withers for want of water in Ghansawangi taluka; farmers ask mills for urgent harvesting

Ghansawangi: The drought is growing worse by the day around Machhindranath Chincholi and Sindkhed in Ghansawangi taluka. The lakes at Machhindranath Chincholi, Mandala and Devidehgaon have dried up, and so have the wells, borewells and farm ponds in the fields. With no way left to water it, standing sugarcane has begun to burn before farmers' eyes.

Farmers first tried to save the cane with the water that was available, using drip irrigation and pipelines, but every source has now run out. They have given a memorandum to the chairmen and boards of units 1 and 2 of the Karmayogi Ankushrao Tope Samarth cooperative sugar factory, Samruddhi Sugar Ltd and the Blue Sapphire sugar factory, asking for the cane in the area to be harvested and taken for crushing urgently.

The memorandum asks the factories to inspect the fields, give priority to harvesting in this area and provide as many harvesting and transport gangs as possible.

In a drought year, sugarcane is the main source of income for these households, paying for children's education, household expenses, loan instalments and medical care. Farmers are caught in a double bind: there is no water to save the cane, and if it stays in the field it will burn.

Source: Pudhari