Joypurhat Sugar Mills to produce 6,375 tonnes of sugar in 2011-12

JOYPURHAT, Nov 19 (BSS): Joypurhat Sugar Mills, one of the big state owned enterprises of the country, will start sugarcane crushing on Friday with a target of producing 6,375 tonnes of sugar by crushing 85,000 metric tons of sugarcane during the 2011-2012 financial year (FY). All preparations have been made to start sugarcane crushing on next Friday, mills sources told BSS Friday. The sources said the mills produced 6,867 tonnes of sugar by crushing 99,587 tonnes of sugarcane in the 2010-2011 FY. A target has also been fixed to plant sugarcane on 14,000 acres in 2011-2012 seasons. Out of the total, sugarcane cultivation has completed on 250 acres of land. According to the sources, Taka 45m has been distributed among the 6,000 sugarcane cultivators as loan to boost sugarcane production. Besides, about 5,000 sugarcane cultivators got Taka 8.3m as subsidy to produce high yielding varieties sugarcane on 1,805 acres. The government has increased the price of sugarcane to encourage the cultivators to raise production. The increased price of sugarcane would be effective from this season. Managing director of Joypurhat Sugar Mills Shahid Ullah told BSS that the government has fixed the price of per quintal (100- KG) sugarcane at Taka 250 at mills gate and Taka 240 out of the mills gate. The sugar mills authorities have stepped up various efforts to encourage farmers to boost more sugarcane production to meet the target.