For a change, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress-Nationalist Congress Party are participating at a maiden brainstorming session slated to critically review flaws in state’s sugar sector and work out a roadmap by 2025 for its healthy growth, reports Business Standard.
A select 25 stalwarts from the cooperative and private sugar factories from the ruling and the opposition along with state cooperation minister Chandrakant Patil have been invited at the office of Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories in Maharashtra in Mumbai.
There are 99 cooperative sugar factories and 79 private units currently operational in the state. As on date these factories have produced a record 10.3 million sugar. The meeting is taking place when of the 157 factories only 40 have paid the fair and remunerative price (FRP).
Interestingly, BJP, which during the assembly election campaign had targeted Congress-NCP for the alleged corruption and favouritism especially in the cooperative sugar factories, after assuming power has admitted that the sector needs to be revived in view of its contribution to the growth in the rural Maharashtra and also its to the state kitty through various taxes.
A cooperative sugar factory source is quoted as saying, “The Rs 36,000 crore sugar sector in Maharashtra contributes over one third to the national sugar production.”