VIZIANAGARAM: The sugarcane cultivation andoutput is drastically declining in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district due to the closure of two major sugar-producing companies in the district.
Sri Vijayarama Gajapathi Cooperative Sugars Ltd, popularly known as Bhimasingi sugar factory, located in Jami mandal had shut down in the name of modernisation in 2019-20. Later, NCS Sugars Ltd, located in Seethanagaram mandal, also shut down citing the financial losses in sugar production.
Though the district officials directed the Parry Sugars Company (E.I.D. - Parry (India) Limited) located at Sankili village in Srikakulam district, the farmers have been facing difficulties in sending their produce to Sankili due to the extra expenditure for transportation.
As a result, the sugarcane cultivation has dropped to 1000 acres from 30,000 acres in the district this year.
Sugarcane is one of the major crops after Paddy and maize in the erstwhile Vizianagaram district. The district had two major sugar factories at NCS Sugars Ltd at Latchayyapeta, and Sri Vijayarama Gajapathi Cooperative Sugars Ltd located at Bhimasingi.
Among them, NCS Sugars Ltd is a private sugar factory, whereas the Bhimasingi sugar factory was run under the cooperative society by the farmers. Therefore, the district had a sugarcane cultivation of more than 30,000 acres in the district.
However, the government of Andhra Pradesh shut down the operations of Sri Vijayarama Gajapathi Cooperative Sugars Ltd, Bhimasingi in the name of modernisation in 2019-20. After a few months, NCS Sugars Ltd management also shut down their factory by citing the financial losses in 2021. As a result, the sugarcane cultivation drastically dropped in the district.