Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol chaired a key programme in Pune focused on promoting a circular economy in the sugar sector through the formation of a proposed Multi-State Cooperative Society.
The event was organised by the Pune Regional Office of National Cooperative Development Corporation under the guidance of the Ministry of Cooperation at Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management on May 27.
The initiative is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” and is being pursued under the leadership of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. The Ministry of Cooperation is exploring innovative and sustainable models to strengthen the cooperative ecosystem and improve farmer-centric industrial growth.
Senior officials, including Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation Raman Kumar and Managing Director of Indian Potash Limited Sanjeev Vedprakash Verma, attended the programme. Representatives from nearly 31 cooperative sugar mills across Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra, along with Belagavi district of Karnataka, also participated in the deliberations.
Addressing the gathering, Mohol said the proposed Multi-State Cooperative Society framework seeks to provide practical direction to the progress of cooperative sugar mills through an integrated circular economy model.
He stated that the initiative would create fresh opportunities for converting sugar industry by-products into high-value products, while strengthening an integrated rural industrial ecosystem.
The minister also highlighted the importance of green energy and bio-based chemicals in reducing fuel consumption and improving sustainability within the sugar sector. According to him, the proposed model could help cooperative sugar mills diversify their operations and generate additional revenue streams from waste and by-products.
During the programme, the team from Indian Potash Limited gave a detailed presentation on the proposed initiative, outlining the current challenges facing the sugar sector and explaining how the Multi-State Cooperative Society model could address them. Discussions focused on stakeholder participation and the role cooperative sugar mills could play in implementing the framework.
Raman Kumar said Maharashtra, with its strong cooperative tradition, is well positioned to lead the adoption of the circular economy model in the sugar sector. He also appreciated the efforts of NCDC and participating stakeholders for organising the programme successfully.
An interactive session was also held during the event, where representatives of cooperative sugar mills raised queries and discussed concerns related to the proposed framework and its implementation.
