KOLHAPUR/PUNE: Incessant rains during the last month have severely affected the sugarcane crops in Maharashtra, causing massive losses to the state's sugarcane industry.

Flood waters from overflowing rivers have submerged large stretches of sugarcane crop in Maharashtra, considered as the sugarcane belt of the country. Due to lack of proper drainage facilities in these sugarcane fields, the hapless farmers in Sangli, Pune, Sholapur, Satara, Nanded and Parbhani say that they have been the worst-hit.

"A large portion of our land is submerged under water. What will we do as our entire sugarcane crops have been damaged. When the sugar mills crushing season begins, every year we sale a large amount of our crops. We have nothing to trade this year. Our livelihood is the sugarcane crops and our very existence is under threat. Our children need to be fed, my brother is studying in college. We need to pay his fees as well. What do we do now?" says Santosh Gaikwad, a sugarcane farmer based in Sangli District.

Altogether 25 lakh tonnes of harvested sugarcane covering an area of over 45,000 hectares of land have been destroyed due to the flood this year.

"We had estimated a bumper harvest this year to the tune of 430 lakh metric tonnes. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rains in five to six districts, there has been serious losses of sugarcane business. In Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and some part of Pune, where sugarcane was planted close to the riverside, increasing flood waters inundated the fields leading to destruction of the crops. The damage is so complete and widespread that we were shocked after visiting the affected sites. All their crops have been destroyed. We made a rough estimate of loss which is about 25 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane covering an area of over 45,000 hectares in the State," said Ramesh Bhatane, Joint Director of Sugar-Development Department, Government of Maharashtra.

Besides losing all their sown crops, most farmers owe lakhs of rupees to moneylenders. The government has however stretched the repayment schedule for loans of farmers.

However, the farmers will have to repay their earlier loans immediately. Having lost their crops, it remains to be seen if the farmers manage the daunting feat.

Out of 185 sugar manufacturing mills, 130 will still be able to get into the crushing season due to sufficient rainfall in other drought-prone areas of Maharashtra and expected to yield about five million tons of finished sugar.

Meanwhile, a large section of the people have urged the State Government to take immediate steps to solve the problems of the flood-affected sugar farmers.

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