At least 35 sugar mills in Maharashtra have obtained permission to start crushing sugarcane from October 15, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The estimated sugarcane crushing in the state may reach 1,413 lakh tonne this year, Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad told PTI.

The crushing season was supposed to start on October 1 this year, but the date was extended by 15 days.

"In Maharashtra, 35 mills have obtained permission to commence crushing of sugarcane from October 15. From this year, mills have to pay Rs 10 for every tonne of sugarcane to the Sugarcane Cutting Labor Corporation," Gaikwad added.

As the first instalment, the mills which obtained permission for crushing have paid Rs 3 per tonne to the corporation, he added.

There are 246 installed sugar mills in Maharashtra. Of them, 203 mills are likely to operate in this crushing season of 2022-23.

In the year 2021-22, 1,420 lakh tonne of sugarcane was crushed to produce 137 lakh tonne of sugar. This year, the sugar production in Maharashtra is likely to go up by one lakh tonne, the commissioner said.