The Centre and the sugar industry are working on a plan to keep sugar mills operational for 200 to 250 days a year by combining artificial intelligence (AI)-based improvements in sugarcane cultivation with distillery projects, cogeneration units, solar power, biogas, and expansion into the food market, said Harshvardhan Patil, Chairman of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Patil said the sharp shortening of the sugar crushing season has become a major concern for the industry, making the use of AI to increase cane productivity increasingly important. He said sugar mills, which used to operate until June about a decade ago, are now being forced to shut within 90 to 100 days due to inadequate availability of sugarcane in their operational areas.
Patil said that although the state’s daily crushing capacity has doubled over the past five to six years, mills are closing earlier than before, leaving productivity improvement as the only viable option. He added that AI-based farming practices are key to raising yields and extending the working season of mills.
He said nearly 70 per cent of sugar mills in the state have already completed crushing, and most are expected to shut operations by March 15. The federation, he said, will soon hold discussions with WISMA and other industry bodies to prepare a roadmap focused on technology-led productivity gains.
Patil added that a detailed report on these measures has been submitted to the central government, which has since set up a committee to examine the proposals.
He also pointed to weak conditions in the global sugar market and a decline in sugar consumption, which have added to the industry’s difficulties. To address this, Patil said the ethanol blending programme needs an additional quota of 60 crore litres. He added that delays in payment of the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to farmers remain a concern, and the federation has urged the government to raise the minimum selling price of sugar to Rs 4,100 per tonne to ensure timely payments.
