Maharashtra’s 2026-27 crushing season: 106 mills churn out 48.65 lakh quintals of sugar by October 28
Maharashtra’s 2026–27 sugar season saw 106 mills crush 64.91 lakh tonnes of cane and produce 48.65 lakh quintals of sugar by October 28. Pune led production, while Kolhapur’s operations remained affected by protests demanding ₹5,000 per tonne for sugarcane, with only nine mills operating.
Kolhapur: The 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season is now underway in Maharashtra. By October 28, 106 sugar mills across the state had together produced 48.65 lakh quintals of sugar. According to information from the Sugar Commissioner’s office, the state has crushed 64.91 lakh tonnes of cane so far, with an average sugar recovery of 7.49 percent. Crushing has begun at 51 cooperative and 55 private mills, and the remaining mills are expected to start soon. By comparison, only two private mills had started operations in the state by October 28 last season.
Solapur division leads with 26 mills in operation
Solapur division has the highest number of mills running, at 26, including 10 cooperative and 16 private mills. These mills have crushed 13.34 lakh tonnes of cane and produced 9.52 lakh quintals of sugar so far, with an average recovery of 7.14 percent.
Nanded division comes next, with crushing started at 22 mills, of which nine are cooperative and 13 are private. They have crushed 7.88 lakh tonnes of cane and produced 5.05 lakh quintals of sugar, with an average recovery of 6.41 percent.
In Ahilyanagar division, 20 mills have started crushing, including 11 cooperative and nine private mills. They have crushed 12.57 lakh tonnes of cane and produced 9.46 lakh quintals of sugar, with an average recovery of 7.53 percent.
Pune division tops production at 13.59 lakh quintals
Pune division has 15 mills in operation so far, made up of 10 cooperative and five private mills. The division has crushed 16.4 lakh tonnes of cane, producing 13.59 lakh quintals of sugar, the highest in the state. Average recovery here stands at 8.29 percent.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, 13 mills have begun crushing, including six cooperative and seven private mills. They have crushed 8.23 lakh tonnes of cane so far and produced 5.52 lakh quintals of sugar, with an average recovery of 6.71 percent.
Cane agitation hits Kolhapur division, only nine mills running
The agitation by farmers’ organisations is clearly weighing on the crushing season in Kolhapur division. Only nine mills have started crushing here so far, five cooperative and four private. The other mills are holding off on operations while they wait for the cane price issue to be resolved.
The division has crushed 5.72 lakh tonnes of cane so far and produced 4.97 lakh quintals of sugar. It has also recorded the state’s highest average recovery at 8.69 percent.
Amravati division has just one private mill running so far, which has crushed 0.77 lakh tonnes of cane and produced 0.54 lakh quintals of sugar, with an average recovery of 7.01 percent. Nagpur division, meanwhile, has yet to see a single mill begin crushing.
Raju Shetti warns of a sharper agitation in Kolhapur over cane price
The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has stepped up its agitation demanding that the cane price be declared at Rs 5,000 per tonne. The protest, now running for a week, has spread beyond Kolhapur district into the neighbouring border areas. At several places, cane transport headed to sugar mills has been stopped.
In some places, vehicles carrying cane have been vandalised and tractors overturned. The organisation has made it clear that the agitation will go on until the cane price is announced. Its chief, Raju Shetti, has taken a firm stand that the protest will continue until the demand of Rs 5,000 per tonne for cane is met. With the deadlock over cane rates still unresolved, the crushing season of mills in the Kolhapur region remains under threat.
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Source : ChiniMandi
