Sugarcane crushing at Rajshahi Sugar Mills (RSM) began in Rajshahi on Friday with a target of producing 8,250 tonnes of sugar by crushing 1,10,000 tonnes of sugarcane within next 67 days of the current 2018-19 season.
The RSM authority has set target of sugar harvesting rate at 7.5 per cent this year against the last year’s 5.85 per cent.
In last 2017-18 season, the mill had manufactured 5,448 tonnes of sugar through crushing 93,014 tonnes of sugarcane in 67 days.
Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation Abdur Rouf Khan attended and addressed the opening ceremony as chief guest with RSM Managing Director Ashfaqur Rahman in the chair.
President of Sugarcane Farmers Association Yeasin Ali, General Secretary Rafiqul Islam Ratan, RSM Employees Union President Afaz Uddin and General Secretary Rafiqul Islam also spoke on the occasion.
Engineer Abdur Rouf Khan said the government has stepped up different efforts to make the sugar industry a profitable organisation. He added that the government has also a plan of refining raw sugar during the off season.
He urged the farmers to grow more sugarcane and factory workers to help run their units properly. He also said the government would take all steps to sustain the sugar mills, the only heavy industry in the region.
Engineer Khan said considering welfare of the farmers the government has raised the purchasing price of sugarcane to Tk 140 per mound at mill gate to ensure its fair price at growers’ level and steps have already been taken to diversify the products, reports BSS.
He urged the farmers to supply sugarcane to the mills to fulfill the sugar production target and called upon the sugarcane farmers not to sell sugarcane to the molasses (gur) traders.