Labour shortage may prevent sugar mills from starting crushing season early
Most Indian sugar mills are unlikely to start the 2026-27 crushing season 10-15 days early due to a shortage of migrant sugarcane harvesting labour, particularly in Maharashtra. Despite government incentives and industry commitments, limited mechanisation and higher labour costs remain key obstacles to boosting early sugar supplies and controlling prices.
Pune : Most sugar mills are unlikely to advance the start of the 2026-27 crushing season by 10-15 days, despite assurances to the government that early operations could help ease record-high sugar prices, senior industry officials said.
The key constraint is the availability of migrant labour for harvesting sugarcane. Harvesting workers, particularly in Maharashtra, are generally expected to arrive only around the first week of November, coinciding with Diwali. Limited mechanised harvesting means mills cannot fully offset the shortage of workers, The Economic Times reported.
The Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and the National Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation had said in a public letter that mills would seek to begin crushing 10-15 days earlier than the normal schedule, subject to agro-climatic conditions.
However, industry representatives said an earlier start would depend largely on the availability and cost of harvesting labour.
“Harvesting labour will be able to leave their homes only from the first week of November. It will also depend on whether sugar mills increase labour charges,” said Gahini Thore Patil, a leader of sugarcane harvesters in Maharashtra.
The government has been looking at ways to persuade mills to start crushing earlier as sugar prices continue to rise despite measures including stock limits and physical verification of sugar inventories.
According to senior industry officials, the Centre has discussed possible incentives with mills to encourage an early start. These include giving mills a higher sugar sales quota or permitting them to sell all the sugar they produce in October.
The industry had committed to advancing crushing operations as part of efforts to improve sugar availability and contain prices. But officials said the shortage of harvesting labour remains a major obstacle, with mechanisation still insufficient to compensate for the gap.
Sugar prices have remained firm even after the government introduced measures to control supplies, increasing pressure on the industry and policymakers to bring more sugar into the market.
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Source : ChiniMandi
