Pune: The Maharashtra State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation has committed to extending the sugarcane crushing season to beyond 150 days, launching a statewide campaign promoting artificial intelligence (AI)-based sugarcane farming to achieve the goal, reports Agrowon.
Currently, the average crushing season in the state lasts only 83 days, well below the 150-day minimum required for economic sustainability in the sugar industry, said Federation President P. R. Patil. The reduced duration has resulted in financial losses for most sugar mills this year, raising concerns about their ability to pay the government-mandated Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to farmers.
Patil emphasized that the only viable solution to this crisis lies in adopting AI technology, which can help increase sugarcane productivity and stabilize the industry. The current traditional farming methods are outdated and inefficient, he noted, adding that the Federation aims to increase the crushing season to at least 165 days.
To familiarize mills with AI tools, the Federation recently organized three-day training sessions, including on-site demonstrations. Held at Baramati’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra, the sessions drew participation from 140 representatives—chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and directors—of 42 sugar mills across select districts, along with 215 administrative officers and 533 sugarcane farmers.
The training was guided by Federation President P. R. Patil and Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group and Trustee of Agricultural Development Trust.
According to the Federation, Maharashtra currently cultivates sugarcane on 1.373 million hectares, but reduced crushing activity has caused the state to fall behind Uttar Pradesh in sugar production. The Federation believes that bringing at least 600,000 hectares under AI-driven farming could help Maharashtra reclaim its leading position.
AI-based techniques have demonstrated up to 40% yield improvements and significant savings in fertilizer and water usage. The Federation is pushing sugar factories to take the lead in spreading this technology to farmers across the state.
Despite the technical nature of AI, the training initiative has received strong support from both sugar factories and farmers. The second phase of training is scheduled for May 13–14 and will include factories from Ahilyanagar, Dharashiv, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Nanded, and Latur districts.
