Vellore sugar mill fires dual boilers to start crushing from Dec 4

VELLORE: The Vellore cooperative sugar mill fired its dual boilers through its co-generation plant as part of efforts to ready the 2500 TCD (tonnes of cane crushed daily) facility, which plans to start crushing from December 4, according to mill chairman M Anandan.

Conveying this to DT Next, mill chairman M Anandan said, “this year we are hopeful of achieving the mark of 3 lakh tonnes of cane crushing as already the facility has registered a total of 2.35 lakh tonnes for its needs.

It may be recalled that the mill was one of the few cooperative sugar units in the state to have no pending cane arrears. This prompted farmers from other districts to volunteer to supply canes to the mill almost daily and also be registered with the Vellore unit.

“Anandan’s decisions and approach are accepted by both the governments, the previous AIADMK regime and the present dispensation, and this is the reason why the mill has been able to ensure nil arrears for cane farmers. It is also one of the reasons for the mill not facing cane shortage” a senior mill official said.

Asked how he managed to make up the 65,000 tonnes cane shortfall, Anandan said, “mill officials citing the unit’s nil arrears record approached local farmers in the Vellore mill’s area asking them to supply cane. The response has been positive and hence we are confident of reaching the target of 3 lakh tonnes.”

However, mill officials are currently forced to turn away cane farmers from neighbouring districts, mill sources said. “Two days ago, we had to turn away farmers from Arani in Tiruvannamalai district who approached us with the same plea,” Anandan said.

However, the mill could easily exceed the 3 lakh tonnes mark as nearly 45,000 tonnes of cane are likely to be diverted from the Kallakurichi sugar mill’s I and II units, sources revealed.

If the mill crushes more than 3 lakh tonnes, it will easily be able to meet its financial needs by itself without having to approach the government, officials revealed.