The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The crushing of sugarcane will begin this month at 15 state-owned sugar mills of the country with the production target of 1,73,100 tonnes of sugar.

To fulfil the target, a total of 22,72,000 tonnes of sugarcane will be crushed, an official handout said yesterday.

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Industries Mahbub Jamil will inaugurate the crushing of sugarcane at North Bengal Sugar Mills (NBSM) on October 24.

Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) sources said after the NBSM, the crushing of sugarcane will begin at Natore Sugar Mills on October 31, Rajshahi Sugar Mills on November 7, Kushtia, Faridpur and Zil Bangla Sugar Mills on November 14, and Panchagar, Thakurgaon, Setabganj, Shampur, Rangpur, Pabna, Joypurhat, Keru and Company, and Mobarakganj Sugar Mills on November 28.

Among the mills, the NBSM will produce the highest amount of 18,867 tonnes of sugar by crushing 2,45,000 tonnes of sugarcane. The average sugar recovery rate is fixed at 7.62 percent this year for the state-owned sugar mills, BSFIC sources said.

A total of 1,63,844 tonnes of sugar were produced at the state-owned sugar mills last year.