Hyderabad: The Nizam-era sugar mill, once considered the largest in Asia, now lies non-operational. However, the state government is preparing to revive the mill and has appealed to farmers to cultivate sugarcane on a large scale to ensure a steady supply of raw material, reported News 18.
The Nizam Sugar Factory (NSF), shut since 2015, requires a minimum of 3,500 tonnes of sugarcane to be crushed daily for operations to restart. In a step towards revival, the government has cleared outstanding payments amounting to ₹190 crore and has also decided to resume operations of the distillery unit attached to the factory.
According to factory officials, the plan to restart NSF is underway, and the government is seeking farmer cooperation to make it viable. Sudarshan Reddy stated that if farmers increase sugarcane production, the government will extend all possible support.
Agricultural advisor Srinivas Reddy has recommended that farmers shift from paddy to sugarcane cultivation, noting that sugarcane offers higher returns. He added that with modern machinery and improved seeds, the cost of growing sugarcane has also decreased.
To resume operations of NSF, sugarcane cultivation would need to cover around 18,000 acres. Farmers have also requested government support in the form of subsidized sugarcane seeds, timely payments, drip irrigation systems, solar fencing, and access to modern farming equipment to make sugarcane farming more profitable.
