Rangpur Sugar Mills Limited (RSML) in Gaibandha started its production yesterday.
Earlier, the mills authorities had fixed the dates to start the production twice, but they failed because of blockade and hartal programmes enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
The dates to start crushing sugarcane were fixed on December 6 and 13. If the blockade and the hartal programmes will be called again in the next month, it would not be possible for farmers to supply cane to the mill located at Mohimaganj area under Gobindaganj upazila. As a result, the mills might be shut down and that would cause a huge lose, said Zinnat Ali Prodhan, president of RSML cane growers’ welfare association.
“The sugarcane had already begun to dry up in the field,” he said, adding that if the mill will not start its production soon farmers will count a huge loss.
Mills sources said the mill had set a target to produce 4,550 tonnes of sugar worth about Tk23 crore by crushing 70,000 tonnes of sugarcane in the current season.
To run the crushing in the mill smoothly, a total of 7,000 acres of land had been brought under the sugarcane farming this year, said Aleek Shom, general manager (agri) of the mill.
Earlier, sugarcane growers were given loan and subsidy with a view to encouraging them in sugarcane farming, he added.
Managing Director of the RSML Abdul Khaleque said they had completed all the preparations to start the production.
Abdul Khaleque the mill had produced 2,738 tonnes of sugar crushing 49,500 tonnes of sugarcane last year, but no dealers purchase sugar from the mill warehouse because of its higher rate than the price of imported sugar.
“Sugar worth about Tk16 crore has been stored in the mill’s warehouse,” he said.
The price of per kg sugar of the mills had been fixed at Tk50 while per kg imported sugar is being sold at Tk44 at local markets, said a dealer seeking anonymity.
So most of dealers are not interested to buy sugar from the mill, he added.