High sugarcane production sees 35 Maha factories still in crushing mode

Aurangabad,  High sugarcane production in the fiscal 2021-22 has resulted in 35 mills in Maharashtra still crushing cane, with Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad stating on Monday that this work may continue till mid-June as six lakh tonnes were yet to be crushed.

Robust rains led to sugarcane cultivation touching 13.67 lakh hectares in 2021-22, which was higher by 2.25 lakh hectares than the previous fiscal, which had taken current production to 300 lakh tonnes, the official said.

“Out of 200 factories in Maharashtra, 165 have stopped work as the sugarcane in their area has been crushed. Seven more will shut work by May 31. However, the factory in Jalna’s Ghansawangi is expected to continue crushing till June 15,” Gaikwad told PTI.

He said 1314.54 lakh tonnes of sugarcane has been crushed in the state till Monday.

“Of the 35 factories still carrying out crushing work, 21 are from Marathwada. This is because the crushing capacity of Marathwada is low when compared to mills in other parts of Maharashtra. The uncut sugarcane in the state is around 6.61 lakh tonnes till Sunday. However, the situation is under control,” he added.

Sugar commissionerate data showed the 35 factories still in crushing mode comprises 12 in Aurangabad, nine in Ahmednagar, eight in Nanded, three in Solapur, two in Pune and one in Amravati. PTI