The Ministerial Committee under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday decided that sugar mills in Maharashtra will start 2021-22 sugar season on October 15. Chief Minister Thackeray also directed Sugar Commissioner to initiate action against mills that have not paid the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for the last season. 

FRP has been paid fully by 146 sugar mills and the committee also decided that cane crushing licenses will not be issued to defaulter mills. 

Cases will be filed against executive directors of mills which will start crushing season before October 15. The meeting decided that farmers should take a call on providing sugarcane for crushing to defaulter mills. 

For the forthcoming sugar season, 12.32 lakh hectares are under sugarcane cultivation in the State and 97 tonnes/ha production is expected. Mills are expected to crush 109.6 million tonnes of sugarcane to produce an estimated 11.2 million tonnes of sugar. About 193 sugar mills in the State are expected to begin operations.

Drip irrigation 

The meeting discussed bringing sugar cultivation under drip irrigation and asked agriculture officials to launch awareness campaigns. Sugar production will increase with drip irrigation, the committee said in a press statement. 

Meanwhile, 112 private and co-operative sugar mills have ethanol production plants in the State. Together, these mills plan to produce 206 crore litre ethanol.