Vellore mill plans to crush 3-L tonne cane

VELLORE: Several maintenance works, including overhauling of machinery, are apace at the Vellore Co-operative Sugar Mill to ensure crushing of 3-lakh tonnes of cane in 2023-24 season.

Vellore Collector P Kumaravel Pandian said the mill planned to crush 2.20 lakh metric tonnes and that farmers should use various facilities offered by the mill to ensure pest-free cane. “Crushing is likely start from December 14,” he added.

However, mill chairman M Anandan told DT Next, “the mill “has already registered 2.25 lakh tonnes of cane for crushing during the ensuing season. The quantum was 40,000 tonnes more than the volume of the last season. With registration under way, we are hopeful of registering nearly 3 lakh tonnes this season by November as we will also get diversions from neighbouring units.”

However, problems still persist in setting right the State’s oldest co-op sugar mill at Ambur. Officials said that cane farmers in Pernambut, Valathur and Melpatti firkas should register their cane with the Tiurpattur mill. Similarly, cane farmers in Gudiyattam, Anaicut, KV Kuppam, Pennathur, Kaniyambadi and Odugathur in the Vellore district but coming under the Ambur sugar mill’s jurisdiction have been asked to contact cane officers to register with Vellore facility.

Asked why the sick Ambur mill was not being rehabilitated, officials said, “It will need at least Rs 1,000 crore to revive the sick unit. Even if it is done, there won’t be much cane in its registered area as the unit remained sick for years. As a result, cane from that unit was diverted regularly to Tirupattur and Vellore facilities.”

“Meanwhile, damage due to fire in the Vellore unit’s conveyor belt a couple of months ago is being set right with tenders being finalised to ensure that the work is completed in a month,” Anandan averred. “Work is on to ensure that we achieve an average recovery of 10 per cent in the ensuing season.”