Vellore mill creates record by crushing 1.17 lakh quintals of cane

Apart from the increase of yield, the cane farmers were happy as they received payment from the Central government’s FRP (Fair and Remunerative Price) amounting to Rs 30 crore for the 2,500 TCD (tonnes crushed per day).

Also, the farmers, who supplied cane from December 31, will receive their dues amounting to Rs 17 crore very soon, Anandan added.

The amount would be credited directly to their bank accounts, he said. Timely payment has resulted in farmers from mills in other districts requesting the Vellore sugar mill to accept their cane, sources revealed.

Meanwhile, the mill is expected to continue crushing for another two weeks, following cane from the Dharmapuri Cooperative Mill being diverted to Vellore.

As the Dharmapuri unit stopped crushing due to various reasons, excess cane amounting to nearly 50,000 tonnes from Dharamapuri is expected to be crushed in Vellore.

Similarly, orders were awaited for diversion of cane from a private mill at Polur in Tiruvannamalai district. With cane from the Tirupattur and Ambur sugar mills already being diverted to Vellore, the mill staff are exuberant at the turn of events. The mill has on date around 4,506 tonnes of molasses on stock.

However, the only sour note is Tangedco (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation) defaulting on payment amounting to Rs 7.80 crore last year to the Vellore mill. The mill’s cogeneration plant has produced 1, 12, 52, 040 kw of power in the current crushing season of which 71, 80, 800 kw was exported to the State grid.

“The rest of the power produced was used to operate the mill,” Anandan said, adding that “before this season’s crushing ends, we anticipate that power dues from the State power to the Vellore mill will again cross the Rs 7-crore mark.”