Chuadanga’s famous Darshana Carew & Co has threshed the lowest amount of sugarcane this season. Not only in the case of sugarcane threshing, but also the rate of sugar extraction and production was the lowest in all cases. The current threshing season ended on February 12 at half past one in the night. The sugar mill, established in 1938, has the lowest production record in the 2021-22 threshing season in its 84-year history.
Sugarcane was cultivated in only 4,626 acres of land in Chuadanga district this season. Of these, sugarcane is cultivated on 989 acres of land in 10 agricultural and experimental farms of the sugar mill. Farmers in the rest of the mill zone area planted sugarcane at 3,636 acres of lands. Earlier, in the 2020-21 season, sugarcane was planted on 8,532 acres of land by the sugar mill authorities and farmers of mill zone area, which is 3,904.50 acres more than the current season. For the first time in 50 years of independence and in the 84-year history of the Carew & Co, sugarcane cultivation has decreased to the lowest point. Due to non-supply of fertilizer seeds to the farmers from time to time, the price of sugarcane is less than the current market price, supply of the same variety of sugarcane without improved varieties of sugarcane, on the other hand, farmers are turning away from sugarcane cultivation due to better prices of paddy, jute and maize. As a result, the mill is in extreme sugarcane crisis during the current threshing season.
During the sugarcane threshing season in the financial year 2020-21, the sugar department of the mill incurred a loss of Tk 69.5 crore. However, the mill authorities fear that the amount of this year's loss may exceed Tk 70 crore.
Sugarcane growers claim that loans were not given to registered sugarcane growers for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation before the current season. Farmers have turned away from sugarcane cultivation due to lack of support from sugar mills, paddy, jute, vegetables and other crops. At the same time, about 11 percent interest has to be paid to collect fertilizers, pesticides and seeds required for sugarcane cultivation from sugar mills. In addition, as the daily threshing capacity of the sugar mill is fixed, the farmer is given a permit to buy sugarcane from any farmer. Farmers have to get in trouble for getting this permit on time. Even after the sugarcane matures in the land, the permit is not available in time. After getting the permit, the sugarcane has to be transported from the field to the sugar mill or to the purchasing center of the sugar mill. Truck or tractor rental is not available on time. Due to these reasons sugarcane cultivation has become less. As a result, the lowest sugarcane cultivation in 84 years has been done in the current season under Darshana Carew & Co. If the current situation is not resolved, the sugar mill may one day be shut down due to lack of sugarcane.
Carew & Co claims that the closure of six sugar mills in the country has created a negative perception among the farmers about the Carew & Co sugar industry. Due to this many farmers did not plant sugarcane. Besides, many farmers are turning away from sugarcane cultivation due to good prices of various vegetables including paddy, jute and pulses, long term cultivation and low dividend at the end of the year.
This large industrial factory was established in 1936 with a combination of sugar industry, distillery and commercial farms in Chuadanga. The institution was nationalized in post-independence 1973. Since then it has been operating under Carew & Co (Bangladesh) Limited under Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation. Darshana Carew & Co Sugar Mill directly employs 1,200 people. Besides, about 15,000 people are directly and indirectly involved. At the same time, various institutions have been formed in the area centered on agro-based sugar industry. In this organization there are three thousand 335.56 acres of land under agricultural farm. Of which the land of cultivable commercial farm is 3,055.64 acres. Each season, the sugar mill authorities plant sugarcane on an average of about 1,500 acres of land.
According to Carew & Co Sugar Mill sources, sugarcane cultivation was 8,532 acres under the sugar mill in the 2020-21 season. In the current (2021-22) planting season, sugarcane has been cultivated in only 4,626 acres of land, which is half as much as last year. With this sugarcane, it has been possible to keep the mill running for only 51 days in the current season. The current season has produced 3,023 metric tons of sugar by threshing 53,793 metric tons of sugarcane in 4728 acres of land. The average rate of sugar extraction was 5.82 percent. The mill authorities have not yet revealed how much money has been lost this season. Earlier, in the 2020-21 season, the mill produced 563 metric tons of sugar by threshing 1 lakh 11 thousand 60.70 metric tons of sugarcane on 6532 acres of land. The average rate of sugar extraction was 5.25 percent. In that season, the sugar industry of the mill lost 69 crore 50 lakh 72 thousand Tk. In the 2019-20 season, the mill threshed 1 lakh 3036.13 metric tons of sugarcane on 6375 acres of land and produced 5142 metric tons of sugar. The sugar industry of the mill lost 60 crore 8 lakh 44 thousand Tk in that season.
Farmers claim that due to mismanagement of sugar mills 10-12 years ago, farmers have lost interest in sugarcane cultivation.
Akhter Hossain, a sugarcane farmer from Begumpur village, said he used to cultivate sugarcane on three or four bighas of land. At one time paddy and sugarcane were the main sources of income. He does not cultivate sugarcane now. He cultivated sugarcane in the last two bighas of land in 2011-12. At that time the mill had to suffer due to mismanagement. That is why he has lost interest in sugarcane cultivation.
A sugarcane farmer from Manoharpur village, who did not want to be named, said, "I got an award from Darshana Sugar Mill for producing good sugarcane. At that time people were interested in sugarcane cultivation. Then the sugar mill would not buy sugarcane at the right time. Sugarcane would not match. Officers were involved with a class of brokers. The sugarcane weight of the farmer was shown less. Then the farmers turned from sugarcane cultivation.”
Abzalur Rahman Dhiru of Uthli village, a farmer who received the highest amount of sugarcane from the mill, said that no action has been taken to modernize the sugar mills where the use of sugar is increasing year after year. In order to reduce losses, the old system has been adhered to where improved varieties of sugarcane and new machinery are to be considered. It is important to modernize the mill and identify the weaknesses of the sugar mill. Through this, first of all, production cost needs to be reduced.
Sugarcane grower Abdul Mannan Piltu said that there has been no change in the process of sugar made from sugarcane. The mill still relies on manual labor to collect and thresh sugarcane from the fields in the ancient way. It takes more time and manpower. Production is lower than that. As a result, the production cost of sugar is constantly increasing per kg.
Abdul Bari, general secretary of the Sugarcane Farmers' Association, said that sugarcane is a crop of one and a half years. As such, farmers are benefiting more by cultivating jute twice a year and thrice a year, paddy and maize and other vegetables. That is why the farmers are turning away from sugarcane cultivation.
Abdul Hannan, president of Carew & Co Sugar Mills Sugarcane Welfare Association, said that the current price of sugarcane is Tk 140 per quintal at Keruj Millgate and Tk 138.38 per quintal at the sugarcane procurement center. Sugarcane cultivation is not possible if the price of sugarcane is not 300 tk. Moreover, sugarcane planting has halved in the last planting season as farmers did not get fertilizer on time. For the first time in 50 years of independence, sugarcane cultivation has been reduced in Carew & Co.
Gias Uddin, general manager (agriculture) of the sugar mill, said sugarcane farmers in the area were in a quandary due to the closure of six sugar mills. At the same time, it was not possible to give incentives to the sugarcane farmers as loans. However, the corporation has taken initiative to provide facilities to the farmers. I hope the farmers will love sugar mills and return to sugarcane cultivation. In the interest of the organization, a joint initiative has been taken to ensure that the farmers return to sugarcane cultivation.
Mosharraf Hossain, managing director of Carew & Co Sugar Mills, said that modernization work of the mill has started. Work is underway to implement a new plan to overcome the losses incurred in the units including sugar mills. Although it is not possible to take the sugar factory to a profitable position next season, necessary preparations are being made to reduce the huge losses. All kinds of facilities are being ensured for the sugarcane farmers. He said that meetings and backyard meetings are going on with the farmers. He called upon the sugarcane growers of the area to make more profit by cultivating more and more sugarcane as well as protect the valuable resource of Carew & Co Sugar Mill.