14 out of 25 private sugar mills in Tamil Nadu not to start operations

Officials said sugarcane planting area had come down drastically in the state leading to poor capacity utilisation

At least 14 of the 25 private sugar mills in Tamil Nadu will not commence operations in the 2019-2020 sugarcane season due to a shortage of sugarcane and liquidity constraints.

At a high level meeting on 'Issues relating to Sugar Industry and Cane Growers of Tamil Nadu', convened by DFS, Ministry of Finance, representatives of South Indian Sugar Mills Association (SISMA) sought staggered repayment, a deep restructuring of dues, and asked for a special relief package for the entire industry.

SISMA officials said sugarcane planting area had come down drastically leading to poor capacity utilisation. They added that the sugar industry had