Maharashtra,which is known for its strength in sugar cooperatives, has now begun to attract investments from private players who are keen up setting up projects in the state.
Around 80 proposals are currently pending with the state sugar commissionerate for private sugar mills in Maharashtra. Atleast 11 projects have been granted aerial clearance (distance of 15 km between two sugar factories) by the commissionerate and four of these have already begun their first crushing season. Shree Renuka Sugars is among the biggest private players to have sought permission to up a greenfield manufacturing facility in Solapur. However, smaller players are queuing up to set up projects in Maharashtra.
Baramati Agro is among the first private sugar mills to have taken off this year and has already completed its first crushing season. The 1,250 tcd(tonne crushed per day) manufacturing facility, learnt to be promoted by the Pawar family, is located at Indapur taluka. The others to have begun the first crushing season include Jijamata Sugar and Industries, a 500 tcd unit, coming up at Kolhapur, Dharashiv Sugars, a 1,250-tcd unit coming up at Osmanabad and Nalawade Sugar Mills, a 1,250 tcd unit at Kolhapur. Bhairavnath Sugar Works, a 2,500-tcd unit, coming up at Osmanabad, has been granted aerial clearance and Hemras Technology, a 2,500 tcd will be coming up at Kolhapur. Around 80 % of the work has been completed at the 1,250 tcd Jai Shree Ram Sugar & Agro Processing at Ahmednagar
Significantly, some sugar cooperatives are keen on turning private. At least 10 sugar cooperatives are learnt to have sought clearance from the commissionerate to go private or convert their sugar cooperatives into public limited companies. A Sangli cooperative is among the first to have converted into a publicly held company. Sources indicated that since this was a long arduous process, not many sugar cooperatives would be keen to take this route. The state currently has around 202 sugar cooperatives and 46 private sugar mills.