The government has cracked the whip on sugar mills for allegedly selling more quantity of the commodity. It has deducted the quota of around 63 sugar mills for June 2024.
In an order issued on May 30 by the Department of Food and Public Distribution allocating 25.5 lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar among 572 mills for sales in the domestic market during June, the Government said, “It has been observed that some of sugar mills have violated the stockholding limits and sold the sugar in excess to their release quota for the month of March, 2024. Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955) read with clause 4 and 5 of the Sugar (Control) Order, 1966 and Order of the Government of India, Department of Food & Public Distribution vide S.O. No. 2347(E) dated 07.06.2018, it has been decided to deduct the release quota for the month of June-2024 in respect of the such violators by 25% of eligible quota for the month of June-2024.”
Monthly sugar quota of 25.50 lakh metric tonnes for June 2024, is 2 LMT higher than the quantity allocated in June 2023 (23.50 LMT). In May 2024, the allocated sugar quota for domestic sale was 27 LMT.
DFPD has asked sugar mills to register and fill online P-Il on National Single Window System (NSWS) portal (https://www.nsws.gov.in). If the sugar mill does not fill online information on NSWS portal for the month of May, 2024 by 10th June, 2024, domestic quota for July, 2024 will not be released to the mills. All the sugar mills/distilleries are informed that information relating to ethanol production from B-Heavy, Sugar Syrup, Sugarcane Juice shall also be filled on NSWS portal in the P-II form itself.
Sugar mills have also being directed to ensure the compliance of mandatory packaging of 20% of sugar in jute bags under Jute Packaging Material (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987 and submit the information thereof in P-II proforma on NSWS portal.
