The sugarcane farmers in Bihar are rejoicing at the state government’s decision to open some of the shut-down sugar mills, which have, in turn, assured the sugar industry of a rebound and also reinstated the income of thousands of farmers and workers. This ruling is arrived at after years of economic hardships in the sugarcane industry, whereby the shutting down of mills has left farmers with no sources of reliable buyers and narrow avenues of disposing of their crops.
The reopening is already in an actual sense in Darbhanga, where bulldozers have gone to work at renovating and clearing away old mill premises. According to the officials, in addition to refurbishment of the current units, new mills will also be set up to satisfy the insecurity of increased demand for sugar and sugarcane byproducts. The project is an extension of the overall government policy to revive the agro-industrial sector and ensure a stable supply of jobs in the villages.
The shutdown of the sugar mills in the last decades had created a huge shaking in the sugarcane supply chain in the state. Farmers were sometimes paid late or forced to sell their goods at reduced prices, and rural labour in mill-reliant societies fell drastically. These mills will be revived, hence stabilizing the sugarcane market to procure and offer farmers fair prices at the right time.
The Bihar government established a special task force to supervise the refurbishment of old mills as well as building new plants. This is in the form of modernization of machinery and updating of production lines, and adherence to current safety and environmental standards. The government is sure that the improved infrastructure will not only enhance efficiency, but it also enable Bihar to compete with other sugar-producing states.
According to economists and agricultural experts, there may be far-reaching impacts on the local economy with the reopening of mills. Other than offering a stable market to sugarcane, the mills will stimulate direct and indirect jobs in milling, transport, storage and other related industries. The increased interest in the sugar industry can also be used to motivate the farmers to invest more in the cane farming and other agri-business operations.
This move has been brought to attention by political leaders as a major move to keep long-standing promises to sugarcane farmers. The government works towards the stability of all the reopened and new mills, and vigilant implementation to avoid mismanagement and ensure that the benefits are distributed to the target beneficiaries.
The announcement is a turning point for the farmers of Darbhanga and other sugarcane-producing districts. It not only guarantees economic salvation but also gives the sugarcane sector in the state a new hope that it will reclaim its glory. As the mills open back, Bihar will restore one of the most significant agro-industrial complexes, consolidating the rural population and enhancing the economy in general.
