Punjab has produced over 1.712 million metric tonnes of sugar so far in the ongoing crushing season after processing more than 18.647 million metric tonnes of sugarcane, Secretary Food Safety and Consumer Protection Dr Kiran Khurshid said.
She attributed the achievement to timely and stringent policy measures taken by the Punjab government, which ensured that the crushing season began on November 15. Mills that failed to start operations on schedule were fined Rs 5 million per day, a move she said was instrumental in securing record production levels.
Dr Khurshid noted that the early start to crushing led to unprecedented cane processing, resulting in higher sugar output this season. She added that carry-over stocks of 112,116 metric tonnes of sugar were already available at the beginning of the season.
According to her, total sugar availability in Punjab has reached 1.824 million metric tonnes. Of this, 790,638 metric tonnes have been released to the market, while 1.033 million metric tonnes remain in reserve.
On farmer payments, Dr Khurshid said sugar mills had made record payments exceeding Rs 165 billion to growers, covering 99.84 percent of total dues, compared to 85 percent in the previous season.
She further said that sugarcane was procured at Rs 436 per 40 kilograms this year, up from Rs 387 per 40 kilograms last year, underscoring the Punjab government’s farmer-friendly policies.
