Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini has directed officials to take effective measures to financially strengthen the Cooperative Sugar Mills of the State by reducing production costs, improving sugar recovery and ensuring optimum utilization of available resources. He said that along with enhancing the operational efficiency of the mills, providing better facilities to sugarcane farmers remains a priority of the State Government.
While reviewing the functioning of the Haryana State Federation of Cooperative Sugar Mills on Saturday, the Chief Minister directed that unnecessary stoppages during mill operations should be minimized and timely maintenance of machinery and advance availability of essential spare parts should be ensured. He also sought details from the Managing Directors regarding the hours of stoppage experienced by their respective mills during the crushing season.
Cooperation Minister, Dr. Arvind Kumar Sharma, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana also remained present during the meeting.
*Suggestion Boxes at Sugarcane Weighment Centres*
Emphasizing direct interaction with farmers, the Chief Minister directed that suggestion boxes be installed at sugarcane weighment centres of the Sugar Mills so that farmers can submit their problems and suggestions. The concerned officers should regularly check these boxes and ensure time-bound action on the suggestions and complaints received.
He further directed the Managing Directors of all Cooperative Sugar Mills to hold meetings with farmers every four months so that their problems and suggestions can be discussed directly and useful suggestions can be incorporated into the functioning of the mills. The Chief Minister made it clear that genuine suggestions received from farmers should be acted upon promptly.
*Sugarcane Cultivation at 4-ft. Row Spacing to be Promoted*
The Chief Minister said that, in accordance with the Budget announcement under the Sugarcane Technology Mission, the incentive for farmers adopting sugarcane cultivation in wider rows at a spacing of four feet has been increased from Rs. 3,000 per acre to Rs. 5,000 per acre. He directed officials to extensively publicize the scheme so that the maximum number of farmers can avail themselves of its benefits.
*New High-Yielding Sugarcane Varieties to Reach Farmers; Four Tissue Culture Laboratories to be Established*
The Chief Minister directed that there should be no unnecessary delay in adopting new and high-yielding sugarcane varieties approved by the Government of India. In case sufficient seed of a good variety is not available within the State, arrangements should also be made to procure it from other States.
He said that improvement in the quality of sugarcane would not only enhance farmers’ productivity but also improve sugar recovery in the mills. It should also be ensured that indents for seeds of new and improved varieties are submitted to the Government of India’s seed portal in a timely manner so that maximum availability of quality seed can be ensured.
To provide farmers with improved and quality sugarcane seed, four tissue culture laboratories will be established at Rohtak, Meham, Panipat and Karnal Sugar Mills. This will help improve the availability of quality planting material, enhance sugarcane productivity and increase sugar recovery in the mills.
*Coordination with Polytechnics and ITIs to Address Shortage of Technical Staff*
Considering the shortage of technical manpower in Sugar Mills, the Chief Minister directed officials to work towards making the required technical staff available through coordination with Polytechnic Colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). Emphasis was also laid on providing youth with training suited to the machinery and technical requirements of Sugar Mills.
The Chief Minister further directed that mill premises should be kept clean and well organized and, wherever required, steps should be taken for their beautification and proper upkeep.
*Work to be Initiated for Shifting the Old Sonipat Sugar Mill*
The Chief Minister directed that necessary action be taken for shifting the old Sonipat Sugar Mill from its present location to a suitable site outside the existing premises. He said that until the new mill is established, the existing mill should continue to operate smoothly with proper maintenance of its machinery and other infrastructure.
*Pilot Project for Sugarcane Harvesting Machines at Kaithal*
In view of the shortage of labour for sugarcane harvesting, the Chief Minister directed that harvesting machines be provided to Kaithal Sugar Mill as a pilot project. Through these machines, sugarcane will be harvested from farmers’ fields and transported directly to the Sugar Mill. This will provide relief to farmers facing a shortage of harvesting labour. Based on the results of the pilot project, the possibility of extending the arrangement to other Sugar Mill areas will also be considered.
*Store Management Software Appreciated, Use to be Made Mandatory in All Mills*
The Chief Minister directed that a centralized tendering system be adopted for maintenance of machinery in the Sugar Mills. He appreciated the Store Management Software installed for managing stores in the Cooperative Sugar Mills and directed that its use be made mandatory in all Cooperative Sugar Mills
He said that if a spare part required by one mill is available in the store of another mill, the concerned Managing Directors should coordinate and utilize the available spare part. This would save both time and money involved in fresh procurement and would also help reduce mill stoppages.
*Rohtak Mill Sugar Could be Used in Pharmaceutical Syrups*
Managing Director, Haryana State Federation of Cooperative Sugar Mills, Capt. Shakti Singh informed that continuous efforts are being made to improve the quality of sugar produced by Rohtak Sugar Mill. Once the prescribed quality standards are achieved, sugar produced by Rohtak
Sugar Mill could be used by pharmaceutical companies for manufacturing syrups. He further informed that Haryana has a total of 10 Cooperative Sugar Mills at Panipat,
Rohtak, Karnal, Shahabad, Gohana, Sonipat, Jind, Palwal, Meham and Kaithal, having a combined crushing capacity of 30,650 TCD. Besides sugar, these mills also produce electricity and ethanol.
*Possibilities of Power Generation During Off-Season to be Explored*
The Chief Minister directed officials to explore possibilities for continuing power generation from Sugar Mills even during the off-season. Emphasis was also laid on enhancing mill capacities wherever required and developing additional sources of revenue.
In the meeting, discussions were also held regarding marketing jaggery produced by the mills through HARHIT and Vita stores. It was further informed that Karnal and Rohtak Sugar Mills are making refined sugar available in one-kilogram consumer packs.
The Chief Minister said that the Government’s objective is not only to financially strengthen the Cooperative Sugar Mills but also to provide better facilities to sugarcane farmers. The mills will be taken forward through modern technology, improved management practices and continuous interaction with farmers.
Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister. Sh. Rajesh Khullar, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Sh. Vijayendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Cooperation Department, Sh. Pankaj Yadav, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. Ajay Kumar, Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Haryana, Dr. Subhita Dhaka, alongwith other officers, elected Directors of Sugar Mills and sugarcane growers from various mill areas were present during the meeting.
