Kathmandu: Sugar mills in Nawalparasi West are grappling with a shortage of sugarcane, their primary raw material, resulting in operational challenges and reduced capacity, reported The Himalayan Times.
The insufficient sugarcane production in the district has forced these industries to seek supplies from neighboring regions, leading to escalated costs.
Lumbini Sugar Industry, located in Sunwal, exemplifies this predicament by procuring sugarcane from Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi East. Kush Subedi, the Head of Administration at the industry, cited the district’s inadequate sugarcane yield, necessitating the import of sugarcane from adjacent areas. Subedi highlighted that the industry has acquired 15,000 quintals of sugarcane from Kapilvastu alone this year.
The shortage of sugarcane has significantly impacted the operations of three major sugar industries in the district, including the Bagmati Khadsari Sugar Industry in Susta and Indira Sugar Agro Industries Pvt. Ltd. in Pratappur. Consequently, these factories are unable to operate at their full capacity. Notably, there are four operational sugar factories in the district.
Farmers, facing prolonged delays in receiving payment for their produce, are responding to this challenge by gradually shifting towards alternative crops for cultivation. This shift is indicative of the broader repercussions of the sugarcane shortage, affecting both industries and the agricultural practices of the local community.
