The district administration has directed the animal husbandry department to work with the sugar factory on a pilot project to process bagasse and molasses into cattle feed
Officials said Maharashtra’s network of more than 200 sugar mills could provide a ready source of feed ingredients during drought years, potentially helping address recurring fodder shortages across the state.
Its feed potential can, however, be significantly enhanced through scientific treatment using urea, molasses and mineral mixtures under Urea Molasses Enriched Straw (UMES) technology,” Dharashiv collector Keerthi Kiran Pujar said, adding, “Molasses improves palatability and provides energy, while urea boosts protein content, making treated bagasse a more nutritious feed option. ” Officials said the project would proceed only after scientific validation. Large-scale promotion will be considered only after safety and nutritional benchmarks are met,” Pujar said. As part of the initiative, a team led by district officials and senior animal husbandry experts inspected Dhoki sugar factory to assess the feasibility of converting the byproducts into animal feed. The team reviewed bagasse stockyards and molasses storage facilities and discussed processing mechanisms with factory officials. “Raw bagasse has limited nutritional value and is difficult for cattle to digest. “The proposed feed will undergo laboratory testing at district and divisional veterinary laboratories to assess total digestible nutrients, crude protein levels and toxicity standards.