Excess water requirement of sugarcane hurting other crops: Maharashtra BJP leader

PUNE: A leader of Maharashtra’s ruling BJP said there was more sugarcane plantation in the state than what was reported by its agriculture department, and that the authorities need to rethink over the crop and the sugar industry because they draw a huge amount of water.

“There could be about 7-10% excess cane in Maharashtra than reported by the agriculture department,” said Madhav Bhandari, BJP’s chief spokesperson for Maharashtra. “The sugar industry needs huge water and many a time it is stolen.”

He was speaking to ET on the sidelines of a function on implementing a pilot project for equitable water distribution in the Chikotra river basin of Maharashtra.

Bhandari’s comments come at a time when the sugar industry has been complaining about the difficulties in getting assistance from the BJP-led central government.

He said the excess water that goes to sugarcane plantations is hurting other crops.

“There is water scarcity in the state. We are supplying water to villages by tankers. But next to the tankers stands the sugarcane crop. The permanently drought-prone Solapur district has the highest number of sugar mills in the state,” Bhandari said in his address at the event. “It is a myth that the sugar industry is a boon. It has used huge government money and defaulted on paying farmers their money. If it is a boon, then it is boon for a select few in the state,” he said. “Experts tell us that only a limited area of Maharashtra can get irrigation. But all the irrigated area is under sugarcane and other crops are dying.”

Dams are built in the name of agriculture, he said. “But most of the water is used for the drinking-water requirements of cities.” The second priority is given to industries and agriculture gets the remaining water, he added.

Water expert Pradeep Purandare also blamed the sugarcane crop for the water scarcity in the state. “Firstly, there is no clarity about each stakeholder’s right over water yet. Industry still continues to get preference over agriculture when it comes to water distribution. And in agriculture, it is sugarcane crop, which consumes the maximum water.”