Pune: As of December 11, 2023, a total of 186 sugar mills in Maharashtra have commenced sugarcane crushing for the 2023-24 season. This comprises 91 cooperative and 95 private sugar mills, resulting in a cane crushing of 253.44 lakh metric tonnes and sugar production of 209.34 lakh quintals in the state. Currently, the average sugar recovery in the state stands at 8.26 per cent.
In comparison, during the same period in the previous season, 194 sugar mills were operational and they had produced 330.58 lakh quintals of sugar by crushing 297.79 lakh tonnes of sugarcane.
The Solapur division in Maharashtra leads in the current season, with 45 sugar mills commencing crushing operations—the highest in any region. According to Sugar Commissionerate data, until December 11, 2023, the Solapur division has crushed 57.87 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, resulting in a production of 44.04 lakh quintals of sugar and a sugar recovery rate of 7.61 per cent.
