Pune: As of December 13, 2023, a total of 190 sugar mills in Maharashtra have commenced sugarcane crushing for the 2023-24 season. This comprises 93 cooperative and 97 private sugar mills, resulting in a cane crushing of 275.71 lakh metric tonnes and sugar production of 229.92 lakh quintals in the state. Currently, the average sugar recovery in the state stands at 8.34 per cent.
In comparison, during the same period in the previous season, 195 sugar mills were operational and they had produced 315.09 lakh quintals of sugar by crushing 348.1 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 13, 2023, the Solapur division has crushed 61.22 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, resulting in a production of 47.13 lakh quintals of sugar and a sugar recovery rate of 7.7 per cent.
