The government has cracked the whip on sugar mills for allegedly selling more quantity of the commodity. It has deducted the quota of around 65 sugar mills for May 2024.
In an order issued on April 30 by the Department of Food and Public Distribution allocating 27 lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar among 572 mills for sales in the domestic market during May, 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 February, 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 May-2024 in respect of the such violators by 25 per cent of eligible quota for the month of May-2024.”
Monthly sugar quota of 27 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) for May 2024, is 3 LMT higher than the quantity allocated in May 2023 (24 LMT). In April 2024, the allocated sugar quota for domestic sale was 25 LMT.
DFPD has asked sugar mills to register and fill online P-II 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 April, 2024 by 10th May, 2024, domestic quota for June, 2024 will not be released to the mills. Ethanol production from B- Heavy, Sugar Syrup, Sugarcane Juice shall also be filled on NSWS portal in the P-II form itself.
Sugar mills asked 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.
