State-run sugar mills in Bangladesh have commenced crushing locally-grown sugarcane to produce 33,000 tonnes of sugar in the season 2023-24, according to Pulak Kanti Barua, Joint Secretary and Director of the Bangladesh Sugar & Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). This target represents a 55 percent increase from the 21,313 tonnes produced in the previous fiscal year, reported The Daily Star.
The decision to raise the production target is attributed to the increasing cultivation of higher-yielding sugarcane varieties by farmers. The crushing of sugarcane has already begun at North Bengal Sugar Mills Ltd in Natore, and production is expected to commence at the remaining eight sugar mills by December 29, as per a notification from the industries ministry.
The BSFIC’s move to increase production comes at a time when consumers are facing record-high sugar prices. The price of one kilogram of sugar was approximately Tk 140-145 in Dhaka, reflecting a 27 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. While five private firms currently meet over 98 percent of the country’s annual sugar requirement by importing raw materials, state mills aim to contribute significantly to domestic production.
In the fiscal year 2021-22, BSFIC mills produced 24,509 tonnes of sugar, meeting only 1.65 percent of the total requirement. Barua noted that this year, the sugarcane harvest is projected to reach 586,000 tonnes, a substantial increase from the 383,000 tonnes grown in the previous fiscal year. Despite a decrease in acreage from 49,000 to 43,000 acres, the increased production is attributed to the use of high-yielding seeds and the BSFIC’s focused efforts, including the application of fertilizers and proper irrigation in sugarcane fields.
Barua expressed optimism that farmers would return to sugarcane cultivation as they realize the profitability of cultivating high-yielding sugarcane.
