Maharashtra political parties, sugar mills tussle over labour migration ahead of polls

The seasonal migration of about 800,000 sugarcane harvesting labour from Maharashtra's most underdeveloped regions has sparked a tussle between political parties and the sugar industry, with politicians seeking a delay in the start of sugarcane crushing to allow labourers to vote in the November 20 assembly elections.

However, the millers are worried that a delay in commencement of crushing would lead to financial losses and want labourers to migrate to mill locations and begin cutting sugarcane. "We have received requests from some leading political leaders about postponing the crushing operations from November 15 to November 21/25," a high-level state government official said, requesting not to be identified. "The state government, too, has asked the administration to assess the impact of labour migration on voting," the official said. Millers are opposed to any such move. "Any delay in the crushing operations would hinder the ethanol supplies for the national ethanol blending programme," West Indian Sugar Mills Association (WISMA) said in a release. "The sugarcane from the bordering districts may go to the sugar mills in Karnataka.

Many sugar mills, where the labour has already arrived, may have to pay for idle labour if the crushing is delayed," it said.


Maharashtra is the largest sugar producer in the country.

Sugar mills in the state must obtain a crushing licence from the sugar commissioner to begin sugarcane crushing operations. A committee of ministers fixes the date of starting the crushing operations. Any mill starting before this date must pay a fine.

Maharashtra and Karnataka had earlier decided to begin crushing operations from November 15.