Pune, Solapur lead cane crushing; Kolhapur tops sugar output in Maharashtra season
Maharashtra crushed 10.45 crore metric tonnes of sugarcane during the 2025–26 season, producing about 99.18 lakh metric tonnes of sugar. Pune and Solapur led cane crushing, while Kolhapur achieved the highest sugar recovery rate at 11.02% and topped sugar production performance.
Pune: Pune and Solapur divisions in Maharashtra emerged as the leading regions in sugarcane crushing during the current season, while Kolhapur division recorded the highest sugar production and recovery rate.
The crushing season, which lasted about 105 days, saw a total of 10.45 crore metric tonnes of sugarcane processed across the state. With an average recovery of 9.49 per cent, total sugar production stood at around 99.18 lakh metric tonnes, Pudhari reported.
Officials said the season recorded a significant increase compared to 2024–25, when 199 sugar mills crushed 853.82 lakh metric tonnes of cane. This year, crushing rose by about 191.76 lakh metric tonnes, while sugar production increased by 182.51 lakh quintals.
A total of 209 sugar mills participated in the season, with a combined daily crushing capacity of about 10.07 lakh metric tonnes.
Pune division led in crushing with 32 mills processing around 222.55 lakh metric tonnes of cane. Solapur followed closely, with 49 mills crushing about 222.05 lakh metric tonnes. Kolhapur ranked third in cane crushing, with 38 mills handling around 210.46 lakh metric tonnes.
Despite being third in crushing, Kolhapur maintained its lead in performance, achieving the highest recovery rate of 11.02 per cent and producing about 231.91 lakh quintals of sugar.
State Sugar Commissioner Sanjay Kolte said the initial production estimate for the season was around 105 lakh metric tonnes, while actual output was close to 99 lakh metric tonnes, indicating only a small variation.
He added that with rising crushing capacity, there is a need to improve sugarcane productivity and aim for a longer crushing season of up to 150 days in the future.
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Source : ChiniMandi
