Patna: The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited (NFCSF) will help establish sugar mills in the state, while Indian Potash Limited has proposed setting up mills under a cooperative-cum-private model in partnership with the state government, Live Hindustan reported.
A high-level meeting chaired by Development Commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh was held to discuss the revival of closed sugar mills and the establishment of new ones. Detailed discussions focused on setting up new mills through a cooperative model to benefit sugarcane farmers and entrepreneurs.
The Managing Director of NFCSF praised the Bihar government’s efforts to revive the sugar industry and assured full support for establishing sugar mills in the state. He said the federation would soon submit a detailed project report in coordination with the state government.
Officials also discussed strategies to increase sugarcane production during the spring and autumn planting seasons, as well as ways to address waterlogging during the monsoon to ensure adequate cane supply for the proposed mills.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Sugarcane Industry Department K. Senthil Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Planning and Development Department Mayank Varvade, Cooperative Department Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Minor Water Resources Department Secretary B. Kartikeya Dhanji, and Sugarcane Commissioner Anil Kumar Jha were present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the Development Commissioner directed officials to prioritize speeding up the establishment of cooperative sugar mills in Sakri (Madhubani) and Raiyam (Darbhanga). He also instructed the Cooperative Department to coordinate with NFCSF and ensure that necessary steps are taken promptly.
As of 2025, Bihar has 18 sugar mills that are no longer operational, including 15 that were previously run by the Bihar State Sugar Corporation. In November 2025, the NDA government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar approved a proposal to restart nine of these closed mills and establish 25 new sugar mills across the state.
