Sugar mills to make ethanol: Minister

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 15

Reiterating the Punjab government`s commitment to convert the loss-making cooperative sugar mills into profitable ventures in the state, Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Thursday said that besides increasing the production capacity of the sugar mills, production of ethanol and power generation would also be started to make them economically strong.

To make these sugar mills profitable, the residue of sugarcane crop would be used for the production of ethanol and power generation. For this purpose, the Cabinet sub-committee has already given a green signal for setting up of cogeneration plants at the mills.

Besides this, crushing of sugarcane at these sugar mills has been started earlier this season in comparison to the past years, said Randhawa while addressing a function for commencing the crushing work at Ajnala Sugar Mill.

Randhawa revealed that the production capacity of Bhogpur Sugar Mill had been increased. Besides, it has also started power generation. In the coming days, cogeneration will also be started at the sugar mills in Ajnala, Batala and Gurdaspur after increasing their producing capacity, said Randhawa, adding that the state government would release Rs 218 crore to pay the dues, owed by sugar mills, to cane growers .

Referencing the efforts being made by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for strengthening Sugarfed and Milkfed, the cooperation minister said that besides increasing the capacity of Milkfed plants in Jalandhar and Mohali, a new plant would also be set up in Dera Bassi.

During this function, MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala thanked the minister.