Maharashtra's Sugar Factory Incentives: How 6 Winners Will Be Chosen

Six factories - three cooperative and three private - will be selected annually for awards. The government has released a government resolution in this regard.

According to the government resolution, sugar factories will be assessed on nine parameters including timely payment of Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to farmers for three consecutive years, sugar recovery rate, incentives given to farmers with high per-hectare production, use of artificial intelligence, maximum area coverage, low carbon emissions and high carbon credits, timely repayment of government loans, employee strength limits and salary distribution and accurate financial management.

FRP payments will carry 15 points, while financial management and employee limits will have 5 points each. All other criteria will be worth 10 points each. A two-tier committee system will handle the selection.

The Screening Committee, chaired by the Sugar Commissioner, with the Joint Director of Sugar (Pune) as member secretary.

Members include directors from the Economics and Administration divisions of the Sugar Commissioner's office, a representative from Vasantdada Sugar Institute, one from the sugar federation, and two independent experts from economics, engineering, or agriculture related to the sugar industry.

In addition, another Steering Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Minister of Cooperation, with the Deputy Secretary of the Cooperation Department as member secretary. Members include the Minister of State for Cooperation, the Principal Secretary of the Cooperation Department, and the Sugar Commissioner.

According to the government resolution, the Selection Committee will choose the final three best cooperative and three best private sugar factories from proposals submitted by the Screening Committee. The prize amounts have not yet been determined.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on September 30 announced that the sugarcane crushing season for 2025-26 will commence from November 1.

The decision was taken at a ministerial committee meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, in view of heavy rains and flood-related losses in several parts of the state, an official statement issued here said.

The government also decided to levy (on sugar mills) Rs 10 per tonne (of sugarcane) for the Chief Minister's (CM) Relief Fund and Rs 5 per tonne for assistance to flood-affected farmers.

- IANS