Maha: Sugarcane crushing period extended in factories due to excess yield

Aurangabad,  In view of the excess production of sugarcane in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, some sugar factories have been asked to continue crushing the crop even if they were finished with the yield in their allotted areas, an official said on Saturday.

Steps were being initiated by factories and the government to ensure that crops are not left in fields, said Jayprakash Dandegavkar, the chairman of the National State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation.

“There has been excess production of sugarcane in Marathwada region this year. The region usually produces 10 lakh tonnes of sugarcane. The crushing may go up to nearly 12.50 lakh tonnes this time around. The crushing period for factories is 180 days. However, the process will continue till April-May this time,” the official said.

Factories in the neighbouring districts of Marathwada have also been asked to pitch in, he said.

“Factories in Solapur will take excess sugarcane from Marathwada. We are trying to get the excess yield from Jalna to Solapur. Sugarcane production has increased in Jalna, Osmanabad and Pathri in Parbhani,” Dandegavkar said.

Earlier on Friday, Guardian Minister of Latur Amit Deshmukh had held a meeting with representatives of private and cooperative sugar mills in the district. He has instructed that sugar mills in the region must run till May and the quantity of additional sugarcane should be checked, an official said.

Despite repeated attempts, state sugar commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad was unavailable for comments. PTI