Vellore: The Vellore Cooperative Sugar Mill is expected to crush around 1.25 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane cultivated across 5,045 acres during the 2025–26 crushing season, as per information from the district administration. The season was formally launched on Tuesday by Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi, reports The New Indian Express.
The mill has a daily crushing capacity of 2,500 metric tonnes and a total seasonal capacity of 4.30 lakh metric tonnes. The reduced target for the current season has been attributed to a steady decline in sugarcane cultivation, with many farmers shifting to paddy farming.
The minister said the sugarcane price, which includes the Fair and Remunerative Price fixed by the Union government along with the incentive announced by the State government, has been set at ₹3,639.50 per tonne.
During the 2024–25 season, the mill crushed 1,27,679 metric tonnes of sugarcane and produced 1,18,430 quintals of sugar. The mill also supplied 86.17 lakh units of electricity to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. Sugarcane was procured from 1,948 farmers, and a total payment of ₹40.23 crore was fully released to them.
Earlier, cooperative sugar mills operated at Vellore, Tirupattur and Ambur in the undivided Vellore district. After the district was split into three, all mills except the Vellore unit were permanently shut down.
In November, sugarcane farmers from Ranipet had called for the immediate reopening of the Vellore mill, saying they were unable to process their harvested crops, resulting in losses. At that time, the mill management had said operations were halted due to a lack of sufficient cane and noted that crushing activity generally reaches its peak during December and January, when the mill is usually opened.
