Goa’s ethanol project draws little response from bidders

Panaji, July 26 (IANS) The Goa government on Friday reiterated that the process to manufacture ethanol at the lone sugar factory in the state on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode is under consideration. However, there is low response from the bidders.

Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik on Friday informed the Assembly that a Request for Qualification (RFQ) application has been invited for the second time for shortlisting the qualified bidders for the redevelopment of the sugar factory, including manufacturing ethanol on PPP mode.

“The application due date was extended three times and finally the bid was opened on June 18. But it was found that no bidders submitted a bid,” Naik said.

To recall, before the Assembly elections in 2017, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had stressed the need to generate fuel from farm products.

Gadkari had said that the alternate fuel can be generated from rice straw, wheat straw, cotton straw, and used sugarcane waste. The Minister's advice had given hope to the sugarcane farmers of getting more opportunities to sell their produce.

The 'Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana’ (Goa’s only sugar factory) was set up in 1972 by the first Chief Minister of the state, Dayanand Bandodkar, at Dharbandora in South Goa. It had an excellent track record at the initial stage with many farmers engaged in the production of the crop.

However, in 2020, the state government shut down operations in the sugar factory and since then, the local farmers have been selling their produce in the neighbouring states.

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