Kolhapur: The sugarcane crushing season in Maharashtra is in its final stage, with 113 out of 206 sugar mills having closed operations. As per data released by the State Sugar Commissionerate, mills in the state have produced 950.31 lakh quintals of sugar by crushing 1,005.1 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane till March 3.
However, despite the season nearing completion, a large number of mills are yet to clear payments to cane growers.
Out of the 206 mills that participated in the crushing season, as many as 168 had not paid the full Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to farmers as of February 28. Only 38 mills have cleared 100 per cent of the FRP dues.
Till February 15, a total of 972.59 lakh metric tonnes of cane had been crushed in the state. The total FRP payable for this cane, including harvesting and transportation costs, stands at Rs 37,662 crore. Of this, Rs 33,006 crore has been paid so far, leaving arrears of Rs 4,898 crore.
The data shows that 38 mills have paid 100 per cent FRP, while 79 mills have paid between 80 and 99.99 per cent. As many as 57 mills have cleared between 60 and 79.99 per cent of the dues, and 32 mills have paid less than 60 per cent of the FRP to farmers.
Sugar millers have demanded that the minimum selling price of sugar be raised to Rs 41 per kg, along with an increase in ethanol prices and a higher ethanol quota, to ensure timely payments to cane growers.
