Agriculture Industry

Private mills seek govt aid to crush excess sugarcane

11 March 2022, New Delhi: Even as six sugar mills in Maharashtra have stopped crushing and other mills are winding up their operations, private mills in the State have urged the State government to provide financial aid as crushing excess sugarcane is adding financial burden on them. Meanwhile, the State government has once again warned sugar mills to crush all sugarcane. in the fields.

This sugar season, 197 sugar mills have crushed 1,01.21 million tonnes (mt) of sugarcane till Wednesday against 87.92 mt during the same time last season to produce 10.44 mt sugar. 

State Cooperative Minister Balasabeh Patil told the State Assembly recently that sugarcane glut is seen in Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, and Satara districts. “I assure that planning to crush all the sugarcane will be in place,” said Patil. 

Rise in production 

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has asked sugar mills in the Marathwada region to crush all the available sugarcane to avoid distress to farmers in the region. 

Sugar experts said that the sugarcane glut is because of rising in per hectare production. This production per hectare crossed 125 tonnes per acre this season.

The delegation of private sugar mill operators recently held a meeting with Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The delegation demanded that the government must provide financial aid to mills to cover transportation and other expenses incurred due to excess sugarcane. 

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Meanwhile, farmers across the State have been complaining that sugar mills and sugarcane contractors are not responding to their demand of lifting sugarcane from fields. Farmers’ organisations have warned of an agitation if sugarcane are not taken by mills for crushing.