Sugar mills in Maharashtra are expected to start sugarcane crushing at full capacity around November 10, a senior official said on Tuesday. Generally, the crushing season starts in mid-October. The crushing, the first stage in sugar production, was delayed this year as the prolonged monsoon has delayed cane harvest, the official told PTI. So far, 73 sugar mills have obtained necessary permissions for the crushing season and a total of 203 mills are expected to undertake crushing this year against 200 last year, the official said.

The estimated sugarcane production in the state may reach 1,343 lakh tons against 1,321 lakh tons in the 2021-22 season. The sugar production may rise up to 138 lakh tons against 137 lakh tons last year, the official said.