Odisha’s Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced that the state government would form a task force to oversee the revival of the Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries.
While chairing a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, the Chief Minister instructed the creation of a task force, which will include senior officers from the Agriculture, Cooperation, Excise, Finance, and Water Resources departments.
The task force will visit Maharashtra and other states to observe and learn from their successful sugar industry models. The insights gathered will form the foundation for revitalizing the Aska sugar mill, Majhi stated.
The meeting also addressed strategies to boost sugarcane production, incentives to encourage farmers to grow sugarcane on a larger scale, and the need to ensure fair pricing, timely payments, and adequate support services.
Other key points discussed included modernizing plant equipment and technology, enhancing operational efficiency, improving quality control measures, and diversifying into related products such as spirit, molasses, and bagasse, according to sources.
The Aska sugar mill, established in 1956 and operational since 1963, expanded its production capacity over time to produce sugar and various by-products. However, the mill is currently running at a loss. Agriculture Minister KV Singh Deo and Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan also attended the meeting.
