Pune: Sugarcane crushing season that was slated to start on October 15 has been delayed by a month due to the heavy rainfall in the state reports The Indian Express.
The mills are likely to start operations in mid-November as the cane fields are waterlogged and it is difficult to harvest cane in such a situation.
Out of 203 sugar mills, only 32 were able to start operations due to adverse weather conditions.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had earlier this month announced that the cane crushing would begin on October 15 but the ‘retreating monsoon’, which lasted till October, flooded the fields, delayed the harvest of sugarcane, and forced the cane labourers to migrate to neighbouring villages.
The area under cane cultivation in the state has increased by 2.55 lakh hectares, taking to the total area under cane cultivation to 14.87 lakh hectares as against 12.32 lakh hectares last year.
