Around 18 sugar factories in Maharashtra have commenced crushing for 2018-19 season, crushing some 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh tonnes of cane.

Factories in the state have slowly started the operations even as farmer leader Raju Shetti has warned millers that crushing will not be allowed to start unless they agree to pay R200 in addition to the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) at a recovery rate of 9.5% to farmers as the first installment.

Maharashtra Sugar Commisisoner Sambhaji Kadu Patil said that the some 18 factories have commenced crushing and the crushing figures are nominal.

“Full fledged operations are expected to commence after Diwali,” he said, adding, “55 factories have been issued crushing licenses. The licenses of those factories which are yet to complete FRP payments for the last season have been withheld,” he said.