Maharashtra to begin sugarcane crushing from November 1

PUNE: Maharashtra, India's top sugar producer, will begin this year's sugarcane crushing season from November 1.

The state government was thinking of advancing the crushing season by a month in a bid to make more cane available for crushing, which is being diverted for use as fodder in drought-hit regions in the state.

As most of the sugar industry in Maharashtra is concentrated in the state controlled co-operative sector, the government takes a call on the crushing season.

Normally, cane crushing season normally begins on November 1 in Maharashtra. But the actual operations usually begin after Diwali when migrating harvesting labourers leave their homes to camp on the fields.