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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 9:20:26 am

Centre pushes for early sugarcane crushing

Mills seek special subsidy Kolhapur: Despite an estimated 30-40 lakh tonnes of sugar being available in excess of domestic demand, the Centre is stepping up efforts to keep sugar prices under control. The Union Food Ministry has urged Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka to advance the 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season so that fresh sugar reaches the market before the existing stock is exhausted. Sugar mills, however, say an early start will come at a cost. They are seeking special...

Centre pushes for early sugarcane crushing

Mills seek special subsidy Kolhapur: Despite an estimated 30-40 lakh tonnes of sugar being available in excess of domestic demand, the Centre is stepping up efforts to keep sugar prices under control. The Union Food Ministry has urged Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka to advance the 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season so that fresh sugar reaches the market before the existing stock is exhausted. Sugar mills, however, say an early start will come at a cost. They are seeking special financial assistance to compensate for the likely fall in sugar recovery and the reduction in cane weight that could result from crushing in October. India produced around 280 lakh tonnes of sugar last season. The season began with stocks of nearly 50 lakh tonnes, while annual domestic consumption is estimated at around 280 lakh tonnes. With about 35 lakh tonnes expected to remain in stock by September 30, the Centre wants the new season’s production to start flowing into the market without waiting for the traditional crushing cycle. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka account for nearly 80 per cent of India’s sugar production. The Union Food Ministry has therefore written to the chief ministers of the three states, asking them to bring forward the start of the 2026-27 crushing season. The push comes against the backdrop of a sharp movement in sugar prices. Ex-mill prices had earlier climbed to around Rs 68 per kg, pushing retail prices close to Rs 80 per kg. Following a series of measures by the Centre, ex-mill prices have since declined to around Rs 41 per kg. Yet, the government is looking at further measures to bring prices down and ensure that stocks move into the market. One such measure has been the approval of imports of one million tonnes of raw sugar. Since initial applications covered only around eight lakh tonnes, the Centre has invited applications for the remaining quota. It has also reduced the permissible stockholding limit for traders from 400 tonnes to 200 tonnes. The next major point of discussion will be the meeting convened by Union Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sanjeev Chopra with the sugar industry in New Delhi on September 8. The secretaries of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have also been invited. West Indian Sugar Mills Association (WISMA) president B. B. Thombre said the Centre was pushing for crushing to begin around the middle of October. Traditionally, most mills in Maharashtra begin operations around November 15, largely because sugarcane harvesting labour becomes available only after Diwali. The industry is, however, willing to explore an early start between October 20 and 25. But early crushing could have significant implications. According to Thombre, sugar recovery could fall by around 1.5 percentage points, while the weight of sugarcane supplied by farmers could decline by 10-15 per cent. The industry will therefore seek special assistance for cane crushed between October 15 and November 15. At the September 8 meeting, it plans to demand a subsidy of Rs 500 per tonne for sugar mills and Rs 300 per tonne directly for sugarcane farmers.

Sources of generation and types of waste

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Sources of generation and types of waste

Today, let us understand different types of wastes and how to get rid over of it.

Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) or E-Waste

This kind of waste comprises end-of-life electrical and electronics equipment and and gadgets which have lost there usefulness. These include a variety of home appliances such as toasters, mixers, refrigerators, electrical fixtures, bulbs and tube lights, heaters, fans, remote controls, television remotes, electrical cords, lamps, smart lights, night lights, Fitbit, smart watches, blood pressure monitors, diabetic testing equipment etc. These also include communications and information technology devices like cell phones, smartphones, desktop computers, computer monitors, laptops, circuit boards, hard drives etc. Then there are copiers/printers, it servers and server racks, cords and cables, wifi dongles, power strips, power supplies, uninterrupted power supplies (ups systems), power distribution systems (PDU’s).

The list is unending! The medical facilities also generate the e-waste in the form of dialysis machines, imaging equipment, autoclave, defibrillator etc.


Chemical Waste

Chemical waste comprises all the waste consisting of a chemical substance. Sources include industry, farms, commercial enterprises, and even housing. Cleaners, insecticide sprays, and coolants are examples of household chemical waste. If the waste is not recycled properly, both industrial and household batteries can be harmful. TV tubes, computers, and electrical appliance components contain chemicals that can cause chemical contamination. Lead and mercury from electronic components can seep into the soil and increase its toxicity in the soil and water.


Bio-Medical Waste

This is a kind of waste generated in pathology labs, diagnostic centers, small and large hospitals, clinics, dental clinics, blood donation camps, veterinary colleges and hospitals, research laboratories in the pharmaceutical industries etc. Schools and colleges are also potential sources of generation of bio medical waste. This kind of waste is also generated in the houses where the patient is bed ridden and is getting treatment at home. Hospital waste includes cotton swabs soaked in patient’s blood or other body fluids, discarded wound bandages and dressing materials, needles and syringes, plastic tubing, catheters, blades, scalpels, human organs and tissues removed during surgery, placenta and other tissue removed during delivery of a baby, aborted fetuses.


Construction; Demolition waste

In India, there is a frenzy of construction activities for variety of ‘developmental projects’. Hundreds and thousands of kilometers of roads are constructed, huge tunnels and underpasses are created, taller and taller buildings are being constructed for commercial and residential purposes and so on and so forth.

For all such activities, lot of excavation is done which generates this type of waste in huge volumes. Old, dilapidated buildings are demolished , to be replaced by very tall, multistoried buildings as a part of redevelopment plan! During all such activities, lot of cement and concrete debris, bricks, stones, sand, glass, wood, large packaging cabinets, and plastic building materials comprise construction and demolition waste.

This waste, if not managed properly and systematically, ends up along the highways and even into the waterbodies causing severe damage to the environment.


Radioactive waste

This is a byproduct of nuclear reactors, fuel processing plants, hospitals and research facilities. Radioactive waste is also generated while decommissioning and dismantling nuclear reactors and other nuclear facilities.

(The writer is an environment expert. Views personal.)

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