A sugar mill to produce molasses

ALL the state owned sugar mills, except Carew and Company have been incurring losses over the years. In local retail market, sugar produced in the state owned mills now sells at Tk.68 per kg while the sugar produced from imported raw sugar is also selling at the same price at retail level. One interesting fact is that molasses made from sugarcane juice in indigenous method is selling at Tk.80 per kg in retail market. Most of the rural people in Bangladesh (other city dwellers) prefer molasses more than sugar for preparing sweetmeats.

The state owned sugar mills cannot continue production activities due to shortage of sugarcane. The government to ensure higher supply of sugarcane in sugar mills has enacted a regulation prohibiting use of power crushers to extract juice from sugarcane in certain areas surrounding sugar mills. As the market price of molasses is 50 per cent higher than sugar produced by mills, one of the state owned mills should be dedicated to produce molasses. As the production cost of molasses will be less than that of refined sugar and the selling price is higher, the sugar mills will earn more. On the other hand, when supply of molasses will increase the price will automatically come down and benefit the consumers.

In a scenario as this, the government should dedicate at least one sugar mill to exclusively produce molasses instead of sugar.

Md. Ashraf Hossain

120 Central Bashabo,

Dhaka-1214.

[email protected]