Padmashri
Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil, the pioneer
of Sugar Co-operative movement, who had
a humble beginning, was chiefly instrumental
in, organizing the much exploited sugarcane
'growers of the 44 villages, in and around
Pravaranagar, way back in 1948, and establishing
Asia's first co-operative sugar factory,
which was commissioned in 1950. Born in
a farmers family at Loni in 1901, he was
distressed by the pitiable plight of the
poor, the illiterate and the downtrodden
peasantary who were exploited by the money-lenders,
feudal lords, and private sugar factory
owners. In those days the local peasantry
of Pravara area had to face difficulties
in marketing of sugarcane, as conversion
of sugarcane into Sugar was totally uneconomical
and the "Jaggery Prices, reached the rock
bottom. Therefore, Padmashri began exploring
ways of uplifting the farmers of this
area. It dawned on him that co-operative
movement was the only ideal medium to
achieve his goal. So begins the saga of
co-operative movement in India.
|
