Karnataka - Belgaum   

Uncrushed sugarcane yet to be assessed

Staff Correspondent

Belgaum: Figures on the extent of sugarcane that has remained uncrushed in the sugarcane year October 2006 to September 2007 are unavailable at the office of the Commissioner for Sugar and the district administrations concerned.

Commissioner for Sugar B.H. Manjunath said here on Friday that his office was yet to get details from the Deputy Commissioners concerned. All information on the quantity of uncrushed sugarcane would be available by the month-end.

He said 234 lakh tonnes of sugarcane had been crushed so far. The figure could go up to 265 lakh tonnes because crushing was going on in about 10 sugar factories in the southern parts of the State.

Preliminary reports indicated that the crisis due to excess sugarcane was mainly restricted to Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur districts in north Karnataka. The problem in Belgaum district was not as severe.

On the apprehensions of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association that there would be a similar crisis of excess sugarcane during the next crushing season, he said that may not happen as new factories are expected to start operations.

Mr. Manjunath, who held a meeting with representatives of sugar factories earlier in the day, asked them to produce ethanol as well. The Centre was considering including ethanol under the essential commodities list and making it mandatory for sugar factories to produce it.

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