Natore Sugar Mill is Closing due to Sugarcane Crisis
Natore Sugar Mill, one of the heavy industries in the northern region, is about to close down as the sugarcane farmers did not supply the sugarcane produced during the 2022-23 crushing season. As a result, Natore sugar mill is not able to achieve the target.
Last Friday (December 2) the crushing of sugarcane started with the 39th 54 day threshing day of the 2022-23 season by throwing sugarcane into the donga of Crerier at Nato sugar mill. After 30 days of cultivation, the sugar mill faced a huge sugarcane shortage.
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On Sunday (January 1), in various subzone areas including Bagatipara, Dastanabad, Jhalmalia subzone, Jigripur, Tamaltala, Malnchi, Phagudadia, Kalikapur, Dahpara, Jamnagar, it was seen that there are hundreds of standing sugarcane in the farmers' land. Farmers are selling jaggery to traders at higher prices than sugarcane land. These canes are being taken directly to the power crusher. Sugarcane is crushed in power crushers to produce molasses commercially. As a result, targets are not being achieved in Natore sugar mills.
It is known that Natore sugar mill started with a target of 80 thousand metric tons with 54 working days, but only 41 thousand metric tons of sugarcane was crushed after 1 month. Meanwhile, in order to achieve the target, the managing director of Natore sugar mill and the officials together encouraged the farmers to supply sugarcane, but the farmers are not supplying sugarcane together. Sugarcane farmers are selling the produce of their land to sugarcane molasses traders at higher prices. According to the contract, sugarcane is supplied to the farmers with fertilizer, brie and cash from Nato sugar mill, but they are selling sugarcane to mills for extra profit. Farmers are selling each sugarcane to jaggery traders at Tk 250. But even though these sugarcane products are supposed to be supplied to the sugar mills, the farmers are not supplying them. As a result, Nato's sugar mill is in danger of closing due to sugarcane shortage.
But the sugarcane farmers say that Nato's sugar mill is buying sugarcane at Tk 180 per maund. But the molasses traders from their sugarcane land are selling at 250-270 rupees per maund. In this they are not getting fair price of sugarcane. Sugar mills are buying 90 to 100 rupees per maund of sugarcane. As a result, the farmers are suffering losses.
According to Natore sugar mill sources, the target of 4 thousand 960 metric tons of sugar production was set by crushing 80 thousand metric tons of sugarcane in the current season. The sugar extraction rate was found to be 6.20%. Meanwhile, the sugar mill's threshing day was 54 days. This year, 80 thousand metric tons of sugarcane produced on 4 thousand 536 acres of land in Natore sugar mill area was supposed to be threshed. But it is not possible to achieve the target as farmers do not supply sugarcane.
Sugar cane farmer. Ashraf Ali said, if we supply sugarcane to Nato sugar mill, we pay 180 taka per maund. And by selling sugarcane to molasses traders, we get 250 rupees per month. We are losing 60 to 70 rupees per maund. Due to which we are supplying sugarcane to molasses traders instead of sugar mills. Also it takes a lot of time to collect money for sugarcane supply to sugar mills. If the authorities had paid money through mobile banking, it would have been easier to withdraw money.
Md. Hossain Ali, another sugarcane farmer, said that sugar mills pay 5 thousand taka for one car of sugarcane. On the other hand, jaggery traders are giving us 7 thousand rupees. So why should we supply sugarcane to sugar mills at a loss? If the government increases the price of our sugarcane, we will supply all the sugarcane produced regularly to the mills.
Kalikapur Center CDA Mehbub Islam Roni said that sugarcane farmers are supplying sugarcane from land to molasses traders at high prices. They are not supplying sugarcane despite the conditions we have repeatedly told the sugarcane farmers. Because molasses traders are buying 90 to 100 taka extra per maund of sugarcane. As a result, they are not supplying sugarcane to Nato's sugar mills even under the conditions we have mentioned.
President of Natore sugar mill workers union. Feroze Ali told Dhaka Mail that sugarcane traders are buying sugarcane from farmers at a higher price than Nato's sugar mills. Every sugarcane is bought by mill traders from the land for 250 rupees. Due to which sugarcane in Nato is in crisis. We request the government to take all necessary measures to supply sugarcane from the land. So that the farmers supply sugarcane to the sugar mills.
Mohammad Farid Hossain Bhuiyan, Managing Director of Natore Sugar Mills, told Dhaka Mail that because there are many illegal power crusher mills in the North Bengal Mill area, sugarcane from the Nato Sugar Mill area is being smuggled there. They are buying sugarcane at a higher price than the government fixed price. Farmers are buying sugarcane at an advanced premium. We are committed to sugarcane cultivation by providing fertilizers, bridges and cash to farmers through loans. Those sugarcane molasses traders are luring the farmers and buying at exorbitant prices. As a result, it is not possible to achieve our target due to sugarcane crisis.
Last season in 2021-22 season 50 thousand metric tons of sugarcane was crushed and 6.50 recovered 3 thousand metric tons of sugar was set and 55 thousand 959 tons of sugarcane was crushed and 3 thousand four tons of sugar was produced. In just 42 days, about 6 thousand tons of sugarcane was crushed beyond the target of 50 thousand tons of sugarcane. On the other hand, an additional 4 tons of sugar was produced against the target of 3 thousand tons of sugar production. Sugar extraction rate in sugarcane crushing operation was 5.36 percent.
