Sugarcane crushing season in Maharashtra to commence on December 1

Sugarcane crushing season for 2016-17 will begin in the Maharashtra state from December 1, 2016. The decision was taken at a meeting of a cabinet committee headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting reviewed the sugarcane production and preparations for the crushing season.

The minister stated that production of cane has been hit on account of the drought in the last four years. The benefit of good monsoon this year will be visible in the next crushing season. This year sugarcane production area is 6,33,000 hectares and sugarcane production would be 493 lakh metric tonnes. The sugar production is expected to be 50 lakh metric tonnes.

Fadnavis said all administrative approvals for sugar factories should made online from May 1, 2017. Loan restructuring proposals of the sugar mills should be sent to the Finance Ministry. He mooted a proposal to bring sugarcane production area under drip-irrigation.