The
Government of India has issued an industrial license to IGBMVSSK, under th
e
Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 for establishment
of a sugar manufacturing unit of 2500 TCD capacity via a Letter
of Intent LI-57 (1997), dated 19-Mar-97.
The
chief promoter is Mrs. Vijayamala Desai, who is an eminent educationist
and social activist. She has over 25 years of experience in the
field of education, social welfare and socio-economic development
programs for women. Mrs. Desai has been instrumental in initiating
many educational programs for women in the socially and economically
backward areas of Maharashtra. The proposed sugar factory is the
result of her unstinting efforts for social and economic betterment
of womenfolk.
The
other promoters include eminent social workers from Kolhapur District,
educationists, entrepreneurs and agriculturists, who are committed
to improve the social status of women through economic means.
The
sugar factory, which manufactures white crystal sugar, is set
up in the backward area of Bhudargad Taluka. The location is chosen
because of its rich potential for sugarcane cultivation as also
to provide remunerative prices to the farmers in Bhudargad Taluka
who at present have to transport cane over long distances and
are not paid a fair compensation for their crop. One of the purposes
of setting up the sugar factory in Bhudargad Taluka is to promote
economic development of the region, which is at present a backward
area and falls in the D+ zone, meaning economically, socially and culturally backward.
The
sugar factory is unique in many ways and has several firsts to
its credit as described in the following sections.
The
project has received overwhelming support from the Government
of Maharashtra and overseas organisations. The project will
also benefit from the incentives given by the Government of India
to attract investments in this sector.
IGBMVSSK is the first sugar factory that comes in existence as a direct
result of the "Policy on Women" declared by the Government of Maharashtra
in 1994. This sugar factory holds a new chapter in the history
of entrepreneurship by encouraging more women to become khatedars
(land owners) and commercially exploit the land.
As
the population of India is increasing, the demand for sugar is
also on the rise. There would also be export potential for sugar,
as the world sugar has been estimated at around 123 million tons when
sugar consumption growth rate is estimated at 2.4%. Though
India's share in global sugar market continues to be negligible
despite the fact that India is among the largest sugar producing
countries in the world, it has enormous scope for increasing internal
consumption and exploring the global market. This reiterates the
tremendous scope for sugarcane cultivation in the country, as
sugar is currently being produced from sugarcane alone. Thus.
sugarcane has proved to be the ideal raw material for sugar production.
