State to revive sugar mills as per expert panel’s recommendations

CHANDIGARH:THE Punjab government is all set to revive and upgrade the loss-making sugar mills in the state by implementing recommendations of a consultative report being drafted by an expert committee.

Disclosing this here in a release on Thursday, additional chief secretary, cooperation, DP Reddy said on the directions of Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the cooperation department would draft a plan to rejuvenate the running cooperative sugar mills in the state.

Presiding over a meeting of the committee of experts constituted by the state government held here on Thursday, he said in order to safeguard the interests of cane growers in the state, the government had decided to implement a plan for upgrade, setting up of distilleries for production of ethanol and co-generation for revival of financial health of the loss making cooperative sugar mills.

He said the experts committee had earlier discussed various issues regarding problems faced by the sugar mills in January. In Thursday’s meeting, experts gave their valuable suggestions for making cooperative sugar mills self-sustainable in view of the prevailing situation of the sugar industry in the country.

He said in addition to the national-level experts of sugar industry, the registrar, cooperative societies, Punjab, managing director, Sugarfed, managing director, Puncofed and elected representatives of the cooperative sugar mills also participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, the experts presented their suggestions regarding sugarcane cultivation which included development of high yielding and sugar content sugarcane varieties to provide good varieties of sugarcane seed to farmers including problems regarding cane harvesting and labour.

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