Kolhapur : In a bid to boost sugar supplies ahead of the festive season and rein in retail prices hovering around Rs 60 per kg, Maharashtra govt on Wednesday advanced the 2026-27 sugar cane crushing season by a fortnight, allowing mills to begin operations from Oct 15 instead of Nov 1.
Officials said Maharashtra’s sugar stock has fallen to around 30 lakh tonnes, while festive demand is expected to rise sharply. Centre has already imposed stock limits on traders and bulk consumers and permitted imports of 10 lakh tonnes of raw sugar, though the move has drawn little response after retail prices eased from nearly Rs 80 per kg to around Rs 60 per kg in key markets. Across the state, 204 sugar mills are ready to begin crushing, with cane standing on over 15.5 lakh hectares available for harvest. Maharashtra, one of the country’s top two sugar producers, produced about 130 lakh tonnes of sugar last season, out of the national output of 310 lakh tonnes. “With only about 30 lakh tonnes of sugar available, very little stock may remain by Nov after monthly releases. Cane maturity has been affected by delayed cultivation after last year’s extended monsoon, which could reduce sugar recovery by around 1.5%, according to Autade.
Because of lower cane weight and reduced sugar recovery resulting from the early start, farmer leader Raju Shetti demanded compensation if farmers suffer losses. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolhapur | Silver Rate in Kolhapur | Bank Holidays in Kolhapur | Public Holidays in Kolhapur Stay updated with the latest Kolhapur news.
Recommendations will be sent to Centre,” a CMO statement said. Explaining the rationale behind the move, sugar industry expert Vijay Autade said govt is trying to bridge a tight supply window before fresh sugar reaches the market. It’s a tightrope walk,” he said. Like last year, mills may finish crushing by January after a relatively short season,” he said.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis , a day after Centre urged major sugar-producing states to start crushing early to improve sugar availability before Dasara , Navaratra and Diwali . The CM’s meeting also discussed measures to improve the viability of the sugar industry. “Issues such as increasing the minimum selling price of sugar, raising ethanol procurement rates and clearing pending subsidies for ethanol plants were discussed. Govt hopes that early crushing in major cane-producing states will bring additional sugar into the market around Dasara and Diwali. However, industry experts warned that advancing the season could come at a cost. “The crop is not fully mature yet. Lower recovery and lower cane weight could hurt farmers. Download the TOI App.