Sugar mills unlikely to advance crushing season despite promise to govt: Industry officials
Most sugar mills will not advance their crushing season by fifteen days. A significant shortage of migrant labor remains the primary obstacle for mills. This labor is typically available only around Diwali in November each year. Mechanized harvesting cannot adequately compensate for the missing workforce. Industry bodies had promised the government an earlier start to crushing operations.
Pune-based industry officials reveal that sugar mills are unlikely to advance the crushing season by 15 days to October, despite assurances from industry bodies like the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and the National Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation. The main obstacle to this advancement lies in the limited availability of migrant labor, usually accessible only around Diwali in November.
The official statement from the associations promises to commence sugarcane crushing operations 10-15 days earlier than usual, contingent on prevailing agro-climatic conditions. However, even with mechanized harvesting in place, it cannot compensate for the shortage of labor. Gahini Thore Patil, a leader of sugarcane harvesters from Maharashtra, explains that harvesters will only be able to leave their homes from the first week of November.
The industry's response to the high sugar prices, which have remained high despite government measures such as stock limits and physical stock verifications, remains uncertain. The central government has reportedly engaged in discussions with sugar mills regarding incentives for advancing the crushing operations, including higher sugar sales quotas or allowing mills to sell all their sugar in October.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
