Sugar mills hopes to crush 176 lakh tonnes sugarcane

BANGALORE: Sugar mills in Karnataka are hoping to crush around 176 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, a 10% rise in output, in the ensuing sugar year which commences from October. During the ongoing sugar year, the mills target crushing of 160 lakh tonne. So far, nearly 50 mills that undertook crushing have already achieved 145 lakh tonnes.

���With monsoons reviving, cane acreage should rise. That will ensure adequate stock in mills,��� said Mr Shivraj Thangadagi, Karnataka���s minister for sugar and agriculture marketing. He said, nearly 12 investment proposals relating to setting up of new sugar mills had been approved during the last four to five years.

The state also plans to invest Rs 6 crore in setting up 15 centres offering e-tendering facility as part of an initiative to modernise APMC yards. Besides, it will invest Rs 21.35 crore in developing and improving cotton storage facilities, he added. The state has a network of 146 APMCs which collected Rs 202 crore in 2008-09.