Patna: The Riga sugar mill in Bihar, which has been shut down for four years, will soon resume operations. This announcement was made by Sugarcane Industry Minister Krishanand Paswan on Wednesday, reports Dainik Bhaskar.
The reopening of the mill is expected to relieve the difficulties faced by local sugarcane farmers and restart sugar production. Farmers in the Sheohar and Sitamarhi districts will particularly benefit from this development. Sugar production in Bihar will also increase
The government had previously issued four tenders for the mill. While three of these tenders did not lead to any production, the fourth tender has cleared the way for reopening. A Letter of Intent has been issued to Nirani Sugar, one of the country’s leading sugar producers.
Minister Paswan noted that their efforts to reopen the mill have succeeded after overcoming legal hurdles, including a court case. The Riga mill has been closed for few years, and the issue was resolved through the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The minister highlighted that the mill’s reopening will benefit farmers in Sitamarhi and Sheohar, who have been supplying their sugarcane to other mills in the meantime. Sugar production will also increase in the state.
Sugarcane is grown on 2.5 lakh hectares in Bihar, with major cultivation in districts such as Gopalganj, West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, and Sheohar. Sugar mills in Bihar operate for 128 days each season. Sugar production in the state has increased from 4.5 lakh metric tons in 2006-07 to 6.7 lakh tons in 2023-24.
