Visakhapatnam: Dozen sugar factories to reopen in State

Visakhapatnam: The government is taking steps to recommence 12 loss-making co-operative sugar factories in the State, said Botcha Satyanarayana, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, here on Tuesday.

The State Cabinet Sub-Committee members visited the Thandava and Etikoppaka co-operative sugar factories in the district and spoke to the farmers and workers.

Speaking further, Botcha said, ''We are visiting the co-operative sugar factories in the State to study and submit a report to the government." The government will pay the arrears owed by the previous government, including Rs 9 crore to the Thandava sugar factory and Rs 7 crore to the Etikoppaka factory.

He alleged that the reason for the fall of production capacity from 1.10 lakh tonnes to 64,000 tonnes was the failure of the previous government. The Minister made it clear to the farmers that the crop will return to normalcy and the factories should be protected and maintained.

Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said the sugar factories were closed due to the negligence of the previous government.

Minister of Industries and Commerce Mekapati Goutham Reddy said the government will take steps to reopen the 12 sugar factories in the State. He said the government will support the sugarcane farmers without any fear of profit and loss. Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy exuded confidence to restart the closed factories. He said the government is raising funds for 12 industries in the State and is taking steps to restart them.

Later, Thandava factory workers said they will co-operate to restart work and appealed to the Ministers to provide necessary funds to maintain the factory.

Kakinada MP V.Geetha, MLAs D. Raja, Golla Baburao, Gudivada Amarnath and Uma Shankara Ganesh, District Joint Collector M Venugopal Reddy, Narsipatnam Sub Collector N. Maurya, other officials accompanied the Ministers.