The 2024-25 sugarcane crushing season in Maharashtra is is picking up pace. According to the commissionerate office, as of December 2, a total of 76.86 lakh tonnes of sugarcane has been crushed, yielding 57.47 lakh quintals (5.7 lakh tonnes) of sugar. The state’s average sugar recovery rate stands at 7.48%.
In the Pune division, 17.34 lakh tonnes of sugarcane have been crushed, producing 13.57 lakh quintals of sugar, with an average recovery rate of 7.83%. A total of 21 mills are operational in the region, including 13 cooperative and 8 private mills.
Meanwhile, the Kolhapur division has 29 mills in operation, consisting of 19 cooperative and 10 private mills. The region has crushed 15.94 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, producing 13.61 lakh quintals of sugar, with the highest recovery rate in the state at 8.54%.
Solapur ranks third in sugarcane crushing, with 21 mills, including 7 cooperative and 14 private mills, in operation. The region has crushed 14.25 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, producing 9.57 lakh quintals of sugar, with a recovery rate of 6.72%.
The Ahmednagar division ranks fourth, with 20 mills in operation, including 12 cooperative and 8 private mills. These mills have crushed 10.88 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, yielding 7.45 lakh quintals of sugar, with a recovery rate of 6.85%, slightly higher than that of Solapur.
The Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar divisions are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. In Nanded, 25 mills, including 8 cooperative and 17 private mills, have crushed 10.27 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, producing 7.7 lakh quintals of sugar, with a recovery rate of 7.5%. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 14 mills, including 7 cooperative and 7 private mills, have crushed 7.22 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, producing 4.87 lakh quintals of sugar.
