Sweet solution for sugar industry

Sugarcane farmers, afflicted by the vagaries of the ailing sugarcane industry, can now breath a sigh of relief. One of their brethren is now at the helm of the department responsible for their betterment.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has appointed JD (U) MLA Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha — a farmer and a sugarcane cultivator — as the sugarcane and minor irrigation minister.

Kushwaha (57), who won the Pipra seat in East Champaran, belongs to the rare breed of politicians who have been able to sustain their interest in farming.

The newly appointed minister has 50 acres of land in Sonbarsa village in East Champaran district, 185km northwest of Patna.

He used to cultivate sugarcane and other crops, and was also a prominent supplier of raw material to the Sugauli sugarcane factory in the district. But the factory closed down a decade ago, and even big farmers like Kushwaha were forced to stop cultivating sugarcane five years ago.

Kushwaha told The Telegraph: “We continued with sugarcane cultivation for a few years even after the factory at Sugauli closed down. But we had to stop sugarcane farming as we did not have an assured market for our product.”

His job has been cut out as he took charge of the department that is supposed to find a remedy to the problems ailing the sugarcane industry.

“The NDA government, in its first outing, made sincere efforts to revive the ailing sugar industry. Now I will take forward the good work done by the previous regime. I will try to expedite works related to revival of old sugar factories as well as open new ones,” said Kushwaha

He said: “The decision of the state government to give Sugauli and Lauriya sugar factories to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has ushered in a ray of hope for sugarcane cultivators of the area.”

The minister said: “Once these factories start functioning, the farmers would have an assured market. They would get the money for their produce within a week of supplying to the sugarcane factory. The money would be transferred directly to their bank account.”

Kushwaha said he would look into similar kind of revival schemes for other closed sugar factories so that sugarcane farmers could get the best deal.

He convened a meeting today with his department’s officials and took stock of the project in pipeline.

“I don’t want to waste much time in understanding the nitty-gritty of the department. The priority is to deliver the goods to the people in the shortest possible time,” he said.

A source said his concern for the farming community is easy to understand, as he has been a farmer himself and has a deep understanding of their problems.

After completing his graduation in 1972, Kushwaha, unlike his friends, did not look for a job in the city.

Instead he went back to his village to be a farmer. His educational background proved to be a great help, and he soon emerged as one of the most progressive farmers of the area.

His zeal to adopt the latest farming practices was recognised. He was chosen to be the farmers’ representative in the meeting organised by the Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa.

Kushwaha also heads the East Champaran branch of the state farmers’ commission. The state government also awarded him the prestigious Kishan Shree award three years ago.

Though the pressure of work would not allow this minister to spend much time in his fields, as he earlier used to, he is not worried about it.

“My elder son, Krishnarjun, is capable enough to handle this responsibility,” he said.

A source said his confidence is not unsubstantiated: Krishnarjun, despite having a postgraduate degree in petrochemical engineering, chose to stay back with his father in Sonbarsa and help him in managing the fields and the family business.

source: telegraphindia