Floods in some parts, state polls delay sugarcane crushing by over 2 weeks

Crushing operations now expected to start only after November 15 in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh

Floods in some parts of the country and Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana have delayed sugarcane crushing in India by more than two weeks. Worse, Maharashtra is likely to face further delays as the fields in the state continue to be inundated.

While mills in major sugarcane growing regions, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka — these states together account for more than 60 per cent of the country’s cane output — had started to operate after October 15 on different dates, unexpected heavy rainfall in September caused massive flooding in sugarcane belts, damaging crops.

According to industry data,