Sugarcane farmers suffer massive losses
Late harvest worsens quality, brings down sugar yield rate
Sugarcane is seen being tossed into a turner for processing at Joypurhat Sugar Mil. Yields were low for the current season due to a late harvest, leading to a dip in mills’ recovery rates. Collected
Sugarcane growers based in six catchment areas have suffered heavy losses this year as the total weight of the crops shrivelled because of a late harvest, bringing down sugar yield.
The sugar yield or recovery rate of most mills was below 5.20 per cent, except for the North Bengal Sugar Mills in Natore.
Sugarcane: now a headache for farmers
Hamidul Haq, a sugarcane grower in Basantapur village of Rangpur s Badarganj upazila, is fearing huge losses this year as the government has shut down six state-run sugar mills out of 15 just before the harvesting season.
Haq, who has been growing the crop for the last 15 years, said he had invested every penny he had to produce 340 quintals of sugarcane on his one-acre land this year.
But this year he fell into big trouble as Shyampur Sugar Mill turned out to be one of the closed mills, where Haq used to sell his produce at Tk 350 a quintal, or 100 kilograms.
Two state-sugar mills begin cane crushing
Seven others to start production as per plan Star Business Report Star Business Report
Two of the nine state-run sugar mills that are still operational began crushing sugarcane on December 11.
The two mills are North Bengal Sugar Mills and Natore Sugar Mills.
The rest seven will follow suit, according to a gazette notification from the government.
The notification came after the government recently announced that six mills under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) would remain closed until further notice as part of a move to modernise the facilities and ensure their future economic viability.