Sugar mills in Maharashtra have paid a fair and remunerative price (FRP) of ₹25,931.09 crore which is 96 per cent of the total FRP payable at the minimum recovery per cent, as per the government notification for the 2021-22 season.  

The total gross payable FRP is ₹27,075.33 crore as of March 15, 2022, for 944.24 lakh metric ton (LMT) of sugarcane crushed by 194 mills. About 76 mills have paid 100 per cent FRP while 59 mills have paid FRP between 80 to 99 per cent. The FRP of ₹948.77 crore is due with 118 mills. The FRP arrears for the previous season is ₹478.57 crore.    

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Maharashtra’s sugar commissionerate has not yet issued the Revenue and Recovery Certificate (RRC) orders against the sugar mills who have failed to make the FRP payments. As of March 30, sugar mills in the State have crushed 1,131.91 LMT sugarcane to produce 1,175.99 lakh quintal sugar.

Crushing in the sugar belt of western Maharashtra will continue by next month-end. Meanwhile, the West Indian Sugar Mills Association (WISMA) has asked for a State government grant to transport and crush the excess sugarcane. 

Labour scarcity

BB Thombare, President of WISMA, said, about 15 to 20 lakh ton of excess sugarcane would be left without crushing in the Marathwada region by May 31. Sugar mills in this region are facing a major challenge to cut and transport this sugarcane due to scarcity of labour.

WISMA in a letter to the State government has demanded a grant for sugarcane transportation and loss in the extract percentage. The State government has assured farmers that all sugarcane standing in the fields will be crushed and the government will take every possible step to ensure this. 

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