Only 170 Sugar Mills Crushing in Maharashtra
20-Nov-2025 01:53 PM
Pune. During the 2024-25 marketing season, a total of 192 sugar mills were operational in Maharashtra and crushing sugarcane.
However, in the current marketing season of 2025-26, only 170 units have become operational because the remaining 22 sugar mills have been denied sugarcane crushing licenses for failing to comply with the rules and regulations. This includes 12 cooperative and 10 private sugar mills.
The Sugar Commissioner's Office has denied licenses to these sugar mills on the grounds that they did not comply with mandatory government regulations.
As per rules, the full payment of sugarcane dues from the previous season is required before the start of the new marketing season. Licenses will be issued to sugar mills for the new season only after the full Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) amount is paid to farmers.
Additionally, sugar mills are required to contribute to the Sugarcane Cutter Welfare Board and deposit the required amount into the Chief Minister's Relief Fund before the start of the new season.
According to information received, licenses have been denied to eight sugar mills in Solapur, three in Kolhapur, three in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, two in Pune,
two in Nagpur, one in Amravati, and one in Ahilya Nagar district due to non-compliance with the rules and regulations. Millers are unhappy with this decision by the Sugar Commissioner's office.
Millers argue that a significant increase in sugarcane production is expected in Maharashtra during the current season, and if the entire crop is not crushed, farmers could suffer significant financial losses.
According to millers, despite some field losses, approximately 120 million tons of sugarcane stock will be available for crushing and processing in Maharashtra in the 2025-26 season, significantly exceeding the 85 million tons stock in the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Co-operative Sugar Mills Association has estimated the average sugarcane yield in the state to increase from 74 tonnes per hectare to 82 tonnes per hectare.