Cane crushing begins at co-operative sugar mill

Cane-crushing began at the M.R. Krishnamurthy co-operative sugar mill at Sethiyathope in Cuddalore district on Wednesday. According to officials, the aim was to crush about 2.15 lakh tonnes of sugarcane, cultivated on about 9,500 acres in Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai and Ariyalur districts, at the mill. Farmers would be paid ₹2,919 per tonne of cane. Official sources said that to encourage members of the co-operative society in the mill, who had registered and crushed cane in the 2022-23 crushing season, an incentive of ₹195 each per tonne was issued. Earlier, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam inaugurated the cane-crushing at the mill in the presence of Principal Secretary C. Vijayaraj Kumar and Collector A. Arun Thamburaj.