Rautahat: Sugar mills in Rautahat and Sarlahi districts are grappling with a shortage of sugarcane, a situation exacerbated by farmers discontinuing cultivation in the region. The decline in sugarcane supply has led to operational challenges for the sugar factories in these districts, reported Myrepublica.
Baiju Babra, the director of Baba Baijunath Sugar and Chemical Industry in Katharia, Rautahat, confirmed the shortage of sugarcane during the main season, emphasizing the impact on their operations. Similarly, Yog Narayan Rajak, the sugarcane manager at Indu Shankar Sugar Factory in Harion, Sarlahi, highlighted that the factory has not received the required quantity of sugarcane since the previous week, perpetuating a cycle of factory closures due to insufficient raw materials.
The Annapurna Sugar Factory in Dhankaul, Sarlahi, is also grappling with the sugarcane shortage, prompting the factory to intermittently shut down while awaiting deliveries from farmers. Shailendra Gupta, the director of the factory, acknowledged the operational challenges arising from the irregular supply of sugarcane. Gupta explained, “We operate the factory after bringing in the sugarcane while waiting for the farmers, and once the sugarcane supply ceases, we again await the farmers.”
Observations indicate that Baba Baijunath, Indu Shankar, and Annapurna sugar factories have adopted a strategy of operating their facilities based on the availability of sugarcane from farmers.
Despite three factories in Rautahat and Sarlahi managing to stay operational, Mahalakshmi Sugar Factory in Bagdaha, Godaita, Sarlahi, has taken a different course by closing its operations. Pawan Singh, the sugarcane manager of Mahalakshmi Sugar Factory, disclosed that the factory processed 1.2 million quintals of sugarcane and has ceased operations for the current year.
