March 5: Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance  with its capacity in Rautahat. 

Following the decline of sugarcane production in the district, the mill has been experiencing dearth of sugarcanes for the last few years. The mill has capacity to crush 20,000 quintals of sugarcane in a day. The mill, however, is crushing the less than 7,000 quintals of the sugarcane on a daily basis. 

Sugar Mill Proprietor Baiju Babara complained that sugarcane shortage had put the mill on the verge of closure. 
The mill had crushed just 0.6 million quintals of sugarcane last year. “Operating the mill below its capacity has incurred heavy loss for the mill,” said Babara. 

Farmers have reduced the cultivation of the sugarcane due to some sugar mills’ failure to pay the farmers on regular basis. Mill proprietor Babara says that his mill has no issue regarding the payment to the sugarcane farmers. “We have been paying the sugarcane farmers at their doorstep and encouraging them. Despite this, the production has declined,” Babara said.

Farmers from Bara and Sarlahi used to sell sugarcane to the mill. The government ban to sell sugarcane from one district to another has aggravated the scarcity of the sugarcane, according to Barabara. 

Baijanath Sugar Mill has been helping farmers with seed, fertilizer and payment at their place. Besides, the mill has also provided a cane harvester to the farmers.

Rautahat used to produce more than 2 million quintals of sugarcane in the past. The sugarcane production stands at between 1 to 1.2 million quintals a year at the moment, according to Sugarcane Producers’ Association Rautahat said.  The mill has to be shut down earlier though the mill would operate till April in normal condition, said Baijanath.