69th cane-crushing season of Rohtak sugar mill begins

Haryana Minister for Cooperatives, Prisons, Elections, Heritage and Tourism Arvind Sharma inaugurated the 69th cane-crushing season of Rohtak Cooperative Sugar Mill located at Bhali Anandpur village in the district.

The minister, who joined the inaugural ceremony virtually, addressed the farmers and mill employees. He assured the sugarcane farmers that their payments would be made within a week.

Chairman of Haryana Sugarfed, Dharambir Singh Dagar, physically inaugurated the crushing season by pressing the boiler button and putting sugarcane in the chain along with the mill’s Managing Director Major (retd) Gayatri Ahlawat and other functionaries.

In his address, Dagar asserted that the government will not let the farmers face any problem at the mill.

“The government has taken several steps for the benefit of sugarcane farmers. Work is going on to develop improved varieties of sugarcane so that sugarcane producers can get more production and their income can increase,” he said, adding that the farmers of Haryana are getting the highest sugarcane rates in the country and payment is also being made in time.

Major (retd) Gayatri Ahlawat, the Managing Director of the Cooperative Sugar Mill, said that nearly 5,000 farmers from 251 villages of five districts are associated with the mill. Sugarcane has been sown on about 22,000 acres of land, from which the arrival of about 28 lakh quintals of sugarcane is expected this year, she added.

“A sugarcane-development plan of Rs 3.53 crore has been prepared, in which a subsidy of Rs 74 lakh will be provided directly to the farmers,” she said.

The MD stated that in the last crushing season, 3,71,800 quintals of sugar was produced at a recovery rate of 9.03 per cent by crushing 41.58 lakh quintals of sugarcane and the entire amount of Rs 160.33 crore for sugarcane has been paid to the farmers on time.

“From April to November, 2.32 lakh quintals of sugar was sold online at the rate of Rs 3,843 per quintal. The Rohtak Sugar Mill stood first in the state in sugar sales. The mill earned an income of Rs 14.76 crore from electricity sales last year. An advanced pollution-control unit has been installed recently, which will provide relief to the residents of nearby villages,” she said.

The mill administration honoured the progressive farmers as well as the drivers of vehicles who bring sugarcane to the mill.