JAGTIAL: Farmers and opposition party leaders held a roundtable meeting in Metpalli on Thursday, demanding the reopening of the Muthyampet sugar factory in Mallapur mandal.
The meeting, attended by leaders of BRS, CPM, Samajwadi Party and farmers’ unions, passed a resolution urging the state government to implement its promise in the Congress manifesto and the recommendations of the Sridhar Babu Committee to revive the factory.
Senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy said a representation would be submitted to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
A senior activist noted that farmers were cultivating sugarcane in about 15,000 acres and that the government must instil confidence by reopening the factory for the next crushing season. He said new machinery should replace the rusted units, which would boost cultivation and restore farmer confidence.
The meeting also resolved to form sugarcane farmers’ associations. Participants said the Muthyampet factory, one of the largest in the Korutla and Metpalli areas, is vital for the region’s agriculture. At present, farmers are forced to transport their cane to factories in Kamareddy and Nizamabad, adding to costs and burden.