Brahmavar sugar factory offers to sell 25 acres of land

‘This will give us initial capital to plan a revival’

A view of the Brahmavar Sugar Factory in Udupi district.— PHOTO: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The management of the Brahmavar Cooperative Sugar Factory is making yet another attempt to revive the ailing factory, by offering to sell 25 acres of its land for the proposed Government Medical College to be set up in Udupi.

The factory is located on 110 acres of land on National Highway 66 in Brahmavar, about 12 km from Udupi. The factory, established in 1985, closed down in 2004 amidst mounting losses.

The factory was started on the premise that the Varahi Irrigation Project, for which the foundation stone (along with that of the factory) was laid in 1980, would provide water for irrigation, which in turn would help in sugarcane cultivation.

But it took 35 years for the first phase work of Varahi Irrigation Project to be completed. The first phase was inaugurated in May, 2015.

M. Jayasheela Shetty, chairman of the factory, told The Hindu on Monday that a resolution to this effect was passed in the general body of the meeting of factory last month. The factory management had initiated this resolution after it was informally sounded out by the district administration on this matter.

The resolution also made it clear that the land would given to the Government Medical College, only if the money generated by the sale would be used for reviving the factory.

“We expect the factory to get about Rs. 50 crore by giving 25 acres of land. This would give us the initial capital for planning a revival of the factory. This will help both the factory and the proposed college,” Mr. Shetty.

The process is expected to take some time. “The government should agree to this proposal. After the government’s nod, yet another proposal will have to be moved at the general body meeting of the factory, finalising the deal. We are hoping for the best,” Mr. Shetty said.

Meanwhile, the completion of the Varahi Irrigation Project in a couple of years is expected to provide irrigation facilities to 38,800 acres. According to the information provided by the factory, of this, 19,000 acres is meant for encouraging sugarcane cultivation, while the remaining 19,800 acres is for encouraging three crops of paddy. The first phase of Varahi Irrigation Project is expected to provide irrigation facilities to about 6,250 acres.

B. Ramakrishna Sharma, president of Zilla Krishik Sangha, said that sugarcane cultivation was not labour intensive. “Farmers will grow sugarcane provided there is prompt payment. Revival of the factory will not only help farmers but also help develop Udupi district,” he said.