Lucknow: Even as the domestic cane crushing season (2019-20) continued, sugar mills have simultaneously ramped up hand sanitiser manufacturing capacity to almost 100,000 litres per day to cater to the rising demand due to coronavirus outbreak. Besides, grain-based distilleries too have revved up an additional capacity of 100,000 litres per day, taking the total capacity to 200,000 litres per day. Responding to the advisory by Union and UP governments for increasing the production of ethanol/ethyl alcohol based hand sanitisers, sugar mills have moved fast to supplement supply with greenfield facilities at their distilleries. “The Union and state government departments and agencies, including sugar, excise, drug controllers, have worked in perfect sync leading to speedier sanction of licences and subsequent hand sanitiser production,” said an official of UP Sugar Mills Association. “While the production data was being collated, nearly 50 sugar mills across India have created sanitiser capacities totalling 100,000 litres per day with the majority producing roughly 2,000 litres each. Those who have already forayed into the segment in Uttar Pradesh, include firms like as Balrampur Chini, Bajaj Hindusthan, Dharmpur, Triveni, Dalmia etc,” the official added. While, some sugar mills are producing and marketing hand sanitisers or supplying it to other firms for bottling and marketing, others have firmed up contracts to supply its raw material viz. ethanol/ethyl alcohol/extra neutral alcohol (ENA) to external sanitiser units. Besides, other grain-based distilleries have also set up additional 100,000 litres per day hand sanitiser production capacity to supplement domestic demand. UP Sugar Mills Association sources said that there were no reports of any disruption in crushing due to lockdown over coronavirus and there was no reason yet to revise the seasonal sugar production estimates pegged at about 33 million tonnes (MT). The official said there was a little disruption with lime quarries in Rajasthan and lime transportation to mills but that had been sorted out with the intervention of relevant Union and state authorities. Even as the cane crushing season draws to a close, more than 35 metric tons of sugarcane is still standing in fields across the sugar producing states, especially North India and UP. “If the lockdown caused disruption in the movement of cane to mills and the transport of sugar to market, it would result in loss to exchequer in the form of payment of compensation to farmers. Therefore, the entire value chain viz. cane, sugar, ethanol etc and also labour have been put under Essential Commodities Act (ECA) providing for seamless operations,” he said.
Most mills are providing temporary stay to labourers and their families inside factory premises so that they did not have to commute outside during the lockdown period.