Haryana Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini has directed officials to take effective measures to financially strengthen the Cooperative Sugar Mills of the State by reducing production costs, improving sugar recovery and ensuring optimum utilization of available resources. He said that along with enhancing the operational efficiency of the mills, providing better facilities to sugarcane farmers remains a priority of the State Government.
While reviewing the functioning of the Haryana State Federation of Cooperative Sugar Mills on Saturday, the Chief Minister directed that unnecessary stoppages during mill operations should be minimized and timely maintenance of machinery and advance availability of essential spare parts should be ensured. He also sought details from the Managing Directors regarding the hours of stoppage experienced by their respective mills during the crushing season.
Cooperation Minister, Dr. Arvind Kumar Sharma, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. Shyam Singh Rana also remained present during the meeting.
Suggestion Boxes at Sugarcane Weighment Centres
Emphasizing direct interaction with farmers, the Chief Minister directed that suggestion boxes be installed at sugarcane weighment centres of the Sugar Mills so that farmers can submit their problems and suggestions. The concerned officers should regularly check these boxes and ensure time-bound action on the suggestions and complaints received.
Pilot Project for Sugarcane Harvesting Machines at Kaithal
In view of the shortage of labour for sugarcane harvesting, the Chief Minister directed that harvesting machines be provided to Kaithal Sugar Mill as a pilot project. Through these machines, sugarcane will be harvested from farmers’ fields and transported directly to the Sugar Mill. This will provide relief to farmers facing a shortage of harvesting labour. Based on the results of the pilot project, the possibility of extending the arrangement to other Sugar Mill areas will also be considered.