The sugar mills in Maharashtra have crushed bumper cane crop and recorded the highest sugar production in seven divisions of the state in past decade during the crushing season which concluded recently, despite grappling with several burning issues.

Altogether 178 sugar mills in the state had crushed 929.54 lakh metric tonne sugarcane and produced 1,048.28 lakh quintal sugar, with average 11.28 per cent sugar recovery, during the crushing season that ended on June 13, as against 771.99 lakh quintal sugar produced from crushing total 76.37 lakh metric tonne cane during the crushing season last year, a data released yesterday by office of the Sugar Commissioner here said.

Thus, the sugar production achieved this year was in excess of 276.28 lakh quintal from crushing surplus 253.17 lakh metric tonne cane, it said.

The Kolhapur division ranked first in sugar recovery with 12.54 per cent, while the Pune division topped in sugarcane crushing with 386.37 lakh metric tonne cane, producing 428.24 lakh quintal sugar, the data showed.

It was followed by Kolhapur with production of 266.53 lakh quintal sugar from crushing 212.55 lakh metric tonne cane with 12.54 per cent recovery.

In Ahmednagar division, 143.79 lakh quintal sugar was produced from crushing 130 lakh metric tonne cane with 11.06 per cent recovery.

In Aurangabad, 75.22 lakh quintal sugar was produced from crushing 74.22 lakh metric tonne cane with 10.13 per cent recovery.

In Nanded, 123.87 lakh quintal sugar was produced from crushing 116.08 lakh metric tonne cane with 10.67 per cent recovery.

In Amravati, 5.01 lakh quintal sugar was produced from crushing 4.86 lakh metric tonne cane with 10.31 per cent recovery.

In Nagpur, 5.61 lakh quintal sugar was produced from crushing 5.46 lakh metric tonne cane with 10.27 per cent sugar recovery.

In the Kolhapur district, Datta Dalmiya private sugar factory was the leader by producing 9,12,350 lakh quintal sugar from crushing 6.83 lakh metric tonne sugarcane, with average sugar recovery of 13.34 per cent, during the crushing season.

While, the Vitthalrao Shinde Cooperative sugar factory in Solapur district recorded highest sugarcane crushing with 17.56 lakh metric tonne and 19.50 lakh quintal production of sugar.

It was followed by Jawaharlal Cooperative sugar factory in Kolhapur district, which crushed 15.18 lakh metric tonne cane and produced 18.15 lakh quintal sugar.UNI SSS SS RB SM1106