P. For Srinivas Reddy, sugarcane is now just a memoryAt the age of 55, the farmer of Narayakhed in the then Medak district of Telangana has adapted for the changing times, cultivating cotton and pulses on his 25 -acre rainfall. Irrigation is impossible with groundwater deficiency, he no longer fights with uncertainties that once came up with sugarcane cultivation. But the shift was not liked; This was a requirement.
Two decades ago, sugarcane was his mainstay, which was grown on seven acresSubsequently, Telangana’s sugar industry supports more than a dozen major mills and about 125 ‘Khandasari’ units. It had Nizam Sugar Limited (NSL) in its heart, once the second largest PSU employer in the state, in which crushed units were spread throughout the region. But as the monsoon became irregular in the early 1980s, the groundwater reserves took a hit. Decline in Chinese recovery rates – from 12% to 9% – the mills were pushed into damage. Increased labor costs, lack of mechanization and inconsistent government further cripped the region, which forced farmers like Reddy to see elsewhere.
Even NSL, once an industry veteran, could not face collapse. Its roots came back in 1937 when King Dhanraj Giriji Narsing Giriji established Asia’s largest vacuum pan sugar factory near Bodhan (Shakkar Nagar). The Nizam government later controlled it through the Industrial Trust Fund, and after the state of Hyderabad merged with India in 1948, the factory continued to operate. In 1958, two years after the formation of Andhra Pradesh, it became a state -run public sector undertaking (PSU).
In these years, NSL aggressively expanded, adding seven units-each in each coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, and the rest in Telangana to 1976–77. At its peak, it was the second largest PSU employer in Telangana after Alvin, with three distillery and about 38,000 TCDs (tons of crushed), which was spread over 1.62 lakh acres supported by sugarcane gardens. Was.
Nevertheless today, all the remains of a once-discharged sugarcane industry are a yellow shadow of their own own. With better irrigation facilities, other crops are made more viable, farmers switching on crops supported by paddy, cotton and maize – MSP. As the sugar mills stop, once the symbol of prosperity, the sweet crop turned into a bitter chapter in the agricultural history of Telangana.
Privatization, promises, prolonged collapse
As the sugar mills struggled, privatization was seen as a possible lifeline. But instead of revival, it only accelerated the downfall of NSL.
As the disadvantage excluded control, the then united Andhra Pradesh government decided to privatize seven NSL units, which in the Hindupur unit in Rialsima (1998) and Bobbili (2002) in the Hindupur unit and Bobbili (2002) in the coastal Andhra (2002) Was sold. An implementation secretariat was established to oversee the process.
NSL General Manager. Ramesh explains, “As no dialects were received for Bodhan, Metpali and Medak (Mombocalli), the government opted for the ‘Swiss Challenge’ method and a 51% majority stake to delta paper mills through a unwanted dialect Sold, “NSL General Manager. Ramesh tells Babu. In November 2002, the Joint Enterprise – Nizam Deccan Sugar Limited (NDSL) – was formed, absorbing these units with two supporting distillery, he said.
But even this experiment could not maintain itself. It collapsed till the crushed season of 2015-16 due to increasing dues, financial mismanagement and operational disabilities of farmers. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now India President Committee), who promised to revive NSL units during the 2014 election campaign, failed to distribute the Kothur (Zaheirabad) unit rebuilding the unit.
In 2016, most of the stakeholders at NDSL referred to the board for the first industrial and financial reconstruction and later sealed their fate to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Three years later, in 2019, the NCLT issued orders for the liquidation process, but the NSL challenged the national level decision, where the petition filed by the majority stakeholders was rejected. Meanwhile, lending banks took the case to the loan recovery tribunal, which proposed a one -time disposal. Agreed to pay a 10% amount for starting with NDSL, a ₹ 298-crore loan was talked to ₹ 190 crore.
However, when the Telangana government blocked the attempt to sell the land related to the NDSL’s Bodhan unit, the company refused to clean its dues. Eventually, the state had to take steps to repay 175.26 crore, including interest to four banks.
Revival scheme
The revival of NSL was a warm political issue, the Congress made it a major pre-poll promise for the 2023 Telangana assembly elections. Accordingly, a committee, which included ministers, legislators and officials to draft a revival scheme.
“To start, a consultancy firm has been tasked to chart a roadmap to revive the Bodhan unit, and it is expected to be reported within a month,” Kane Commissioner G. Malasur informed.
As an initial step, the Department of Industries has already held three meetings with the farmers to convince them to be taken to the sugarcane plantation again, they were assured of government support, they said that the government was complete The variety is committed to revive NSL, with 100% budgetary support. As the agricultural community was promised.
For the proposed revival, the department has started identifying farmers in the villages around Bodhan with access to irrigation, which aims to educate them on the benefits of permanent sugarcane cultivation. Officials are emphasizing how the crop can ensure long -term soil health by providing a stable and profitable income.
In the three awareness meetings so far held so far, the farmers expressed interest in returning to the sugarcane, but on a condition: they want the government to offer adequate support, including subsidy, interest-free loans and other incentives so that sugarcane cultivation is Can be rewarded more. Compared to paddy.
Assistant Sugarcane Commissioner S. Describing Srinivas, “Back to agricultural scientist crop participating in those meetings.
He explains that, in addition to subsidy, the major demands of the farmers include the availability of high yielding sugarcane varieties to promote average yield from 30-35 tonnes per acre, which at least 40-45 tonnes per acre Till then.
In addition, he highlights the need for at least 15,000 acres of sugarcane plantation in the surrounding areas to support the Bodhan unit, which has a crushed capacity of 3,500 TCDs and operates for 130 days a year, Less 4.55 lakh tonnes of sugarcane is produced. The 2,500-TCD with a crushing capacity will require one and 3.25 lakh tonnes of sugarcane production annually.
According to sugarcane department officials, according to the crushed season of 2024-25, only seven sugar mills, which are in the private sector, are running in the state, with a joint crushed capacity of 24,700 TCDs and sugarcane gardens, in 50,686 acres Are spread.
What do farmers want
Officials say that most of the farmers participating in awareness meetings demanded an additional ₹ 1,000 per tonne for sugarcane, as well as farm equipment, especially with subsidy on harvester, arguing that of 500 on paddy Bonus per quintal discourages sugarcane cultivation.
For the 2024-25 crushing season, the Center has set a proper remuneration price (FRP) for sugarcane at ₹ 3,400 per ton, based on the basic recovery rate of 10.25%, with an increase of 0.1% every 0.1% Each 0.1% increase with an increase of 0.1% with an increase of 0.1%. recovery rate. For 9.5% recovery rate, FRP is ₹ 3,151 per tonne.
“We are not expecting anything for free, but we search for the support of the state government as a subsidy for the cropper and rotavator, interest-free crop loan, subsidized drip irrigation systems and seed sugarcane. “The farmer of Chittapur in Jagatiial district.” Buchi Reddy.
Another farmer from Minarpali in Nizamabad district, Purnachendar Rao, says that a complete set of sugarcane harvesting equipment, including two tractors includes a sugarcane harvester (a transport vehicles to lift and load the sugarcane on a transport vehicles Fitted with small cranes), ₹ will cost about ₹. 1.3 crore. He said that providing such a set to every sugarcane -growing village can reduce the burden on farmers.
Currently, an 670 per tonne fees for hired harvester sugarcane, while laborers’ demand is ₹ 800 per ton, and such equipment is not locally available locally.
Buchi Reddy states that most of the farmers in their area receive ₹ 3,672 per ton of ₹ 3,672 as their sugarcane has a high recovery rate of 11.2% and 40 to 60 tonnes per acre than the average of 30 to 35 tonnes. Existing drip systems are not quite suitable for sugarcane, as they are completely damaged every three years, they say and suggest that farmers will benefit more if the basic recovery rate is fixed at 9% and Instead of providing large subsidies to cutster, sugar, sugar, sugar mills can be assigned with sugarcane harvesting function.
Despite the government’s plans and the expectations of the farmers, to a large extent the consultancy and adequate budgetary support recommended to revive the NSL rests on supporting measures, at least in the early years, to establish a stable foundation.
Published – 21 February, 2025 08:18 AM IST
