Punjab hikes sugarcane price by Rs 10

Chandigarh, May 5 (UNI) The Punjab government today announced to increase the State Advised Price (SAP) of Sugarcane by Rs 10 per quintal.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to review the status of cooperative sugar mills in the state, a spokesman here said.

Capt Singh specifically asked the Agriculture and Cooperation departments in the meeting to evolve a viable policy package for the revival of cultivation of sugarcane and cooperative sugar mills as a part of the diversification programme to benefit the farming community.

The Chief Minister further underscored the need to produce ethanol as a byproduct from the molasses due to the mandatory mixing of five per cent ethanol in petrol and likelihood of its increase of 10 per cent in the country.

He pointed out that Brazil was mixing 27 per cent ethanol without any technical modification and had 100 per cent ethanol-based automobiles.

Capt Singh also envisioned to set up molasses-based ethanol refinery in Punjab in collaboration with a Brazil Company as ONGC was already establishing such a unit in India.

A presentation was made on the profile of Cooperative Sugar Mills in Punjab and the Chief Minister was informed that the price realisation of Sugar had risen from Rs 1750 per quintal in April 2005 to Rs 2050 in April this year. There was a demand and possibility of exporting sugar to neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Europe, he added.

UNI PS AK RS2013