Sugar Corporation proposes increasing sugar price at millgate to Tk120 per kg

A proposal has been sent to the government for increasing the price of sugar at the millgate to Tk120 per kilogram, Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industry Corporation Chairman Md Arifur Rahman Apu said yesterday.

Earlier sugar was sold at Tk40-60 per kg, but now sugar is being sold at Tk100, he said while initiating the sugarcane planting season using modern STP system in Laxmandia village of Madhukhali upazila in Faridpur yesterday morning.

"We are not intentionally increasing the price of sugar or sugarcane. The price of sugarcane is being increased to keep parity with the country's growing inflation, so that farmers get a fair price for their labour," he also said.

He also said, "Planting sugarcane using the new Spaced Transplanting Technique (STP) will save time and money for the farmers. That is why the government is encouraging the farmers to cultivate sugarcane using STP by giving subsidy."

A five-year action plan has been taken up keeping the sugar mills in mind, he said, adding that this will bring about a massive transformation in the sugar industry of the country.

There is a target of planting sugarcane in 5,500 acres of land of Madhukhali Sugar Mill in Faridpur during the current 2023-2024 sugarcane planting season.

During the inauguration programme also present were Madhukhali Sugar Mill Managing Director Md Saifullah, General Manager (Finance) Khandkar Alamgir Hossain, General Manager (Administration) Muhammad Mizanur Rahman, General Manager (Agriculture) Muhammad Anis Uzzaman, Labor Union President Md Shahin Mia, General Secretary Mirza Majharul Islam Milon, Senior Vice President Rezaul Karim, President of Sugarcane Planters Welfare Association Md Shafiqul Islam, General Secretary Rezaul Karim and sugar mill officials, employees, labor union leaders.

Madukhali Sugar Mill is expected to get 55,000 tonnes of sugarcane from the 3,095 acres of sugarcane during the 2023-2024 sugarcane harvesting season in the five districts of Faridpur, Magura, Gopalganj, Kushtia and Rajbari under the jurisdiction of Madhukhali Sugar Mill.

Farmers said sugarcane cultivation will increase due to the government's initiative to increase the price of sugarcane this year. The price of sugarcane in the field has been fixed at Tk220 from Tk180 per maund. Increasing it to Tk240 will further increase production.