The sugar-crushing season in Namakkal is set to begin by mid-November, with nearly one lakh tonnes of sugarcane registered for processing at the Salem Co-operative Sugar Mills Limited. An additional 25,000 tonnes are expected through spot registration, giving farmers renewed hopes of higher profits.The mill, which has a crushing capacity of four lakh tonnes, will handle about 2,500 tonnes of cane per day over a 40-day campaign, said Managing Director R Kuppusamy. Sugarcane cultivation in Jedarpalayam, Paramathi Velur, Mohanur, and Senthamangalam areas of Namakkal continues to form the core supply area for the mill.Over the years, both sugarcane cultivation and supply to the mill have declined sharply from the 2017 peak of four lakh tonnes. Previously, only registered farmers were allowed to supply cane. But this year, spot registration has been opened for farmers to encourage participation. "This year, we expect the support price to be increased to Rs 4,000 per tonne. Last year the farmers were paid Rs 3,500 per tonne," Kuppusamy said.
Farmers, however, remain wary due to delayed payments in the previous year. “We’ll believe the price only when the payment comes through. Last season, it took up to four months, which caused uncertainty and many switched to alternate crops,” said K Balasubramaniam, general secretary of the Vivasaya Munnetra Kazhagam."Last year, the recovery rate was much lower than expected, so we couldn't make margins. A total of only 75,000 tonnes of cane were processed, yielding around 5,250 tonnes of sugar. Payments to farmers could be settled only after the government released funds. This year, since we expect to crush more and with a better recovery rate, we plan to settle payments soon after crushing," Kuppusamy assured.The recovery rate last year was around seven per cent, primarily due to the mill's ageing machinery installed in 1964. After a Rs 2-crore machinery overhaul, the recovery rate is expected to rise to 8.5-9%, he added.
SugarIndustry 
