Illegal power crushers make sugar output target bleak

Molasses are being produced by a power crusher at a village in Mithapukur upazila, Rangpur. Large scale production of molasses in the mill zone poses a threat to sugar output in Shyampur Sugar Mills. PHOTO: STAR

Sources said at least one hundred power crushers are running in Mithapukur, Badargonj, Taragonj and Lalmonirhat Sadar areas under the mill zone, producing a huge quantity of molasses every day.

Law prohibits operation of power crushers in the mill zone, but this is not enforced, they said.

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The mill's production target this year is 6,200 metric tonnes by crushing 80,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane. The recovery target is 7.75 percent.

Sugarcane procurement price has been fixed at Tk 41 per maund.

The mill authorities earlier disbursed Tk three crore 60 lakh among 12,000 listed farmers to supply sugarcane to the mill.

Last year, the mill produced 5,735 metric tonnes of sugar, 500 metric tonnes less than the target. This was due to indiscriminate running of power crushers in the mill zone, the sources said.

Momtaj Uddin, a farmer in Shyampur said farmers do not feel encouraged to supply sugarcane to the mill because of various reasons including harassment in procuring Purjee (permit for supply) and hassle in payments by bank. Farmers Abul, Keramat, Budu Mia and many others echoed the same sentiment.

The mill officials however denied the allegations. "We have fulfilled farmers' demands", an official said.