Patna: Sugarcane Industry Minister Krishnanandan Paswan has ordered that payments to sugarcane farmers and survey operations must be completed within the stipulated timeframe. He cautioned that any negligence by officials or sugar mill management would invite strict departmental action.
The minister made the remarks during a high-level review meeting of the Sugarcane Industry Department held at Vikas Bhawan. The session focused on the status of sugarcane payments, ongoing surveys, development of sugar mills, and implementation of key departmental schemes.
Krishnanandan also urged mill owners to actively participate in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to promote local development. Modern measures such as setting up tissue culture labs for improved crop productivity were also emphasised.
It was revealed during the review that 99.80% of the sugarcane price has already been disbursed by sugar mills. The meeting further assessed the progress of departmental schemes, including the Chief Minister Sugarcane Development Scheme, Sugarcane Mechanisation Scheme, and Bihar Jaggery Promotion Scheme. Officials were directed to ensure their effective rollout.
Department Secretary Kartikeya Dhanji described mill owners as vital to the success of the industry and underlined the role of innovation in strengthening agriculture-based sectors. He also announced that new incentive schemes will soon be launched to support both farmers and mill operators.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Sugarcane Commissioner Anil Kumar Jha, Joint Sugarcane Commissioner JPN Singh, and general managers and office heads of operational sugar mills from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
