Pune: Sugarcane crushing season in Maharashtra is likely to end by the first week of June as about 10 lakh tonnes of cane remain to be crushed, reports The Indian Express.
Sugar mills in the state were burdened with an excess cane for crushing during the ongoing crushing season as the drought-prone region of Marathwada reported more than 120 tonnes per hectare than the average 90 tonnes per hectare. Sugar mills in the state have crushed a record 1,312 lakh tonnes of cane till May 25. Out of 200 sugar mills, 146 have closed crushing operations so far.
Sugar mills in Marathwada, Ahmednagar, and some parts of Pune are still operating and may close their operations by the first week of June.
The state government had provided mechanized cane harvesters and in a much-needed relief to sugar mills, the Maharashtra government on had announced a subsidy of Rs 200 per tonne on excess sugarcane crushing after May 1.
State sugar commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad stated that 130 harvesters from various parts of the state were deployed in Jalna, Osmanabad, and Solapur districts where excess cane production was witnessed.
