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Early implementation of Tuteja Committee Recommendations would address the important problems facing sugar industry, said Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution here today.
Addressing the 70th Annual General Meeting of Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the minister said that the recommendations, submitted early this month covered all issues of the industry namely production, mounting cane arrears, absence of adequate professionalism, need for accelerated R and D efforts, financial aspects etc. Referring to the availability of sugar in the domestic market, the minister said that advance licences for Rs.1075 crore (CIF) had been issued for the import of raw sugar as on December 15, 2004 , against which 8.01 lakh metric tonne had been either imported or contracted in the current sugar year.
The Government has disbursed a total of Rs.262.33 crore as buffer stock subsidy to sugar mills in 698 cases and a sum of Rs. 400 crore has been budgeted in the current financial year for this purpose. The pending cane arrears have reduced from Rs.2568.79 crore (24.8 %) to Rs.580.81 crore (5%) as on September 30, 2004. Sugar producing states have been urged to expedite payment of cane arrears as early as in the month of August , 2004, the minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri P Chidambaram, Minister of Finance underlined the need for striking a balance of sugar production, consumption , healthy financial condition of the mills and international price of sugar as it was crucial to the growth of the sugar industry. Sugar farmers should aim at higher productivity and sugar factories higher efficiency in production to bring about revitalization in sugar industry. Sugar industry should also strive for vertical growth in order to sustain its economy by diversifying into cogeneration, production of ethanol, bio fertilizers etc., Shri Chidambaram said.
Earlier in his presidential address, Shri Vivek M. Pittie, President of ISMA urged the Government to have a policy of uniform cane pricing to enable proper functioning of sugar industry.
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