Sugarcane crushing in Punjab to begin from November 25

Chandigarh, November 6: Sugarcane crushing in the state will begin from November 25, 2024 onwards. Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian decided this during a meeting of the State Sugarcane Control Board at his office on Wednesday. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that Punjab has witnessed a 5% increase in the area under sugarcane crop. Farmers have cultivated sugarcane on 1 lakh hectares this year, an increase from around 95,000 hectares last year. Fifteen sugar mills in Punjab—nine cooperative and six private—plan to crush around 700 lakh quintals of sugarcane. He added that the state projects a production of 62 lakh quintals of sugar this season. The Agriculture Minister directed concerned officials to ensure all arrangements are in place before crushing operations begin. He emphasized that farmers should face no inconvenience in selling their produce and should receive timely payments. Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Anurag Verma, Punjab Agriculture Commissioner Ms Neelima, Secretary Expenditure VN Zade, MD Sugarfed Dr. Senu Duggal, Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh, Punjab Cane Commissioner Dilbagh Singh, Director of PAU’s Regional Research Station Kapurthala Gulzar Singh Sanghera and Members of the state Sugarcane Control Board Kamal Oswal, Kunal Yadav, Sher Partap Singh Cheema and others were also present in the meeting.