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...

min read

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.

Textile recycling drive uplifts Navi Mumbai women

Quaid Najmi
Apr 8
3 min read

Mumbai: A quiet revolution is unfolding in Navi Mumbai’s Belapur – one that converts old clothes into new livelihoods - and transforms the lives of over 150 women participating in it.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), has set up India’s first municipal Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0” – empowering many humble home-makers and other women to rewrite their futures.

Working in the TRF initiatives linked to textile recovery and upcycling, now the women earn between Rs 9,000-Rs 15,000 – catapulting them from the socio-economic margins into a growing ‘green economy’- gaining skills, confidence and financial independence.

The TRF’s pilot project has so far reached more than 1.15 lakh families and connected with over 350 housing societies through awareness drives and workshops. At the heart of this are Self Help Groups (SHGs), where women are trained, supported and encouraged to build their own micro-enterprises, said a NMMC official, preferring anonymity.

“At least 300 women of different age groups, mostly semi-literate and from lower-middle-class strata of society, have completed intensive training modules. They are now experts at identifying different fabrics, repairing them creatively, and selling their beautifully recycled products through different platforms,” the official told The Perfect Voice.

The Belapur TRF is a sight to behold – there are piles of dirty, old, worn and torn saris, uniforms, sheets, denims and other fabrics. The teams of women carefully sort, assess, clean, and repurpose each clothing into something new, using a mix of hands-on expertise and technology. They decide what can be reused, recycled, or upcycled into a new product adding value to it, the official said.

The results are both practical and stunning – there are stacks of new bags, mats, pouches, garments, home décor, paper and other useful items born from their skilled hands – adding to a range of more than 400 such products.

There is no shortage of raw material as the three-month-old initiative has collected 30 tonnes textile waste, scientifically sorted over 25 tonnes, processed more than 41,000 items or 500 daily – diverting a significant volume away from landfills and ultimate waterbodies.

The waste collection is decentralized – 140 branded textile bins are placed in housing societies in eight NMMC Wards, with a target of 250 bins in the next few weeks – ensuring quick access and citizen involvement, thereby indirectly contributing to improving the lives of the women and SHGs silently ushering in the eco-friendly revolution.

To promote awareness and exploit the markets, the TRF has participated in 30-plus exhibitions, and multiple public awareness events on the benefits of repurposing textile wastes using hand-held scanners, digital tracking and other resources – while pushing forward the PM’s dreams of Smart Cities Mission and Sustainable Development Goals.

Another TRF in Koparkhairane

Buoyed by the success of the Belapur pilot, the NMMC plans to open a permanent, higher capacity TRF in Koparkhairane soon.

Since India generates an estimated 7.8 million tonnes of textile wastes each year, experts feel this could be trendsetter both in terms of environmental impact and generating dignified employment for the marginalized sections of society.

There were many early cynics, critics and challenges, but through a steady outreach, consistent engagement, deploying fibre-scanning technology and sheer dedication of the women helped iron out the teething problems to help materialise the dreams in NMMC.