Journalism of Courage
In a show of political bonhomie, former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar praised Union cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari as the voice of Maharashtra’s sugarcane growers in the Centre. Pawar, who was speaking at the Sugar Conclave conducted by the Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune, on Saturday praised the BJP leader for his help to the sugar industry.
The two-day conclave will see the sugar industry deliberate about the various issues facing the sector. Gadkari’s advocacy for the sugar industry, especially in production of ethanol, has helped many mills get profit.
Earlier, Pawar had talked about the need to increase cane acreage in the Vidharbha region of the state. Pawar also said that the Gosekhurd project would help in increasing the availability of water in the region. “Cane was a crop in the Vidharbha region but over the years, farmers have diverted to other crops. Vasantdada Sugar Institute should develop varieties suitable for the region.” He also said Gadkari, who is an MP from Nagpur, runs four sugar mills in the region. Most of the mills which had started operations had gone bankrupt due to various reasons.
During the programme, which was attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and other state ministers like Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar, the chairman of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation called Gadkari the second pillar of the sugar industry in the state
Dandegaonkar’s statement came after a book about Pawar’s contribution to the sugar industry was released.
