New Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) Amid protests by sugarcane growers, only 19 of 55 sugar mills in Maharashtra have begun crushing operations in the new 2026-27 season, while Karnataka has yet to begin, sources said on Thursday.
Four sugar mills started crushing on Thursday, while 15 mills had started operations on October 8 amid high sugar prices in the country. The remaining sugar mills in Maharashtra have performed the customary puja that precedes the crushing season starting in October, while 30 are expected to commence operations over the next 2-3 days, sources added.
Sugarcane farmers’ protests have hit crushing operations in the new season, which starts on October 1. Farmers are demanding a higher cane support price and an increase in the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar and ethanol. Protests on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border disrupted vehicular traffic on the busy Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway on Wednesday. The government has set up a committee to address farmers’ grievances.
Sources said farmers were blocking the main roads and highways leading to sugar mills.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also urged sugarcane agitators to cooperate with sugar mills to ensure an early start to the crushing season, citing lower sugarcane yield, financial challenges amid drought and high sugar prices.
“The sugar produced from these 19 mills is expected to cool down sugar prices”, a source said.
“In Karnataka, not a single mill is operating now because of the protest,” the source said.
Maharashtra and Karnataka are the country’s second and third largest sugar-producing states, respectively.
“Until yesterday, farmers were blocking the main roads and highways leading to sugar mills. As per the latest information received, the agitators have reportedly entered the premises of certain sugar mills, raising concerns about the smooth commencement and continuation of crushing operations,” sources said.
The situation regarding farmers’ agitation remains a key concern and may affect the pace of commencement and smooth functioning of sugar mills, sources added.
Sugar mills that have reported commencement of crushing in Maharastra are located in seven districts: Kolhapur (Chhatrapati Rajaram Sugar and Athani Sugar), Sangli (Hutatma Sugar), Satara (Sahyadri Sugar and Ajikyatara Sugar, Pune (Malegaon sugar, Chhatrapati Bhavani Nagar and Nira Bhima Sugar), Solapur (Shri Vitthal SSK, Vithalrao Shinde Sugar, Vithalrao Shinde Sugar and Vijay Unit No. 2), Ahmednagar (Shankarrao Kolhe Sanjivani Sugar, Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Sugar, Shivajirao Nagwade Sugar, Loknete Marutirao Ghule Patil Sugar, Mula Sugar and Prasad Sugar) and Jalna (Karmyogi Ankushrao Tope Sugar ‘ Samarth Unit and Karmyogi Ankushrao Tope Sugar ‘ Tirathpuri Unit).
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have also held talks with key farmers’ bodies in the national capital after protesting farmers threatened to block national highways.
It was decided to set up a committee headed by former NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand to look into their concerns.
However, farmers’ organisations have rejected the move and are continuing their protest, the sources said.
The government has notified the committee but has set no clear deadline for it to submit its report or for implementing its recommendations. This has irked the farmers, who feel their demands will not be met immediately.
Maharashtra remains a major sugarcane growing state that has begun crushing operation. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, crushing of cane grown in the special season is underway. No new sugar mills have commenced the operations. PTI LUX MR
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