Bijnor: Sugar mills in the district have crushed 408 lakh quintals of sugarcane in the current crushing season, lower than last year’s figure of 432 lakh quintals. As a result, the district’s 10 sugar mills have recorded a shortfall of 24 lakh quintals compared to the previous season, mainly due to insufficient supply of sugarcane, reports Amar Ujala.
On Tuesday, the mills crushed 5.90 lakh quintals of cane, while the figure stood at 6.16 lakh quintals on Monday. Officials said the mills have not been receiving adequate cane to maintain higher crushing levels.
Reduced sugarcane yield due to adverse weather conditions and crop diseases, along with delays by farmers in supplying cane, have affected overall availability. To maintain operations, sugar mills have been issuing indents higher than their normal requirement, but this has still not ensured adequate supply.
Mill officials said if cane supply does not improve in the coming days, the duration of the crushing season could also be affected. They have urged farmers to supply sugarcane on time so that crushing can continue smoothly and payments to farmers can be made without delay.
General Manager (Cane) Rahul Singh said sugarcane availability for crushing has been impacted and mills are seeking permission to issue additional slips along with regular indents to improve supply. District Cane Officer P N Singh said the mills have so far crushed 408 lakh quintals of sugarcane. He added that mill operations are running smoothly and payments for sugarcane supplied by farmers are being made satisfactorily.
