SATV, Kathmandu, Mar. 14: As sugarcane in farmers’ fields is nearly finished, sugar mills operating in the Tarai region are preparing to shut down.
The sugarcane yards—areas where trucks and tractors carrying sugarcane are parked—of three sugar mills in Sarlahi are gradually becoming empty.
Within the next week to ten days, most sugar industries in the Tarai, including those in Sarlahi, are preparing to stop sugarcane crushing operations.
Administrative chief of Mahalaxmi Sugar Industry, Bagdaha, Shiv Shankar Mahato, said the mill will be closed within ten days.
“We have already crushed around 1.185 million quintals of sugarcane,” Mahato said. “Now the supply of sugarcane has significantly decreased. We plan to run the mill for about ten more days before shutting it down.”
Mahato said the mill is preparing to issue a notice requesting farmers to bring any remaining sugarcane to the mill immediately.
Two weeks ago, the sugarcane yards of the mills were full, but now only a limited number of trucks and tractors can be seen.
Farmer Ramkalyan Yadav of Dhankaul Rural Municipality–2 said the number of farmers bringing sugarcane to the Annapurna Sugar Mills in the village has declined.
According to him, before the election, trucks, tractors, and trailers loaded with sugarcane used to line up all the way to the road in front of the mill, but the area is now mostly empty.
However, Indu Shankar Sugar Industry, Harion stated that it is still receiving sufficient sugarcane.
Sugarcane manager of the mills, Yog Narayan Rajak, claimed the mill could continue operating for about two more weeks.
He said that Indu Shankar, which has already been in operation for 84 days, has crushed about 2.375 million quintals of sugarcane so far.
“We are hoping to operate the factory for at least 120 days,” Rajak said. “If farmers keep bringing sugarcane, we are ready to continue crushing throughout the month of Chaitra.”
Sugar industries that are nearing the final stage of sugarcane crushing have said they are paying farmers in installments according to a schedule.
This year, the government fixed the price of sugarcane at Rs. 620 per quintal from the industries, with an additional Rs. 70 subsidy from the government.
