The Maharashtra government has introduced a new incentive scheme to boost the financial strength and quality standards of cooperative and private sugar mills. Announced on Wednesday to commemorate the International Year of Cooperatives and the Diamond Jubilee of the state’s cooperative sugar industry, the scheme aims to recognise and reward mills for excellence in performance and efficiency.
According to the government resolution, sugar mills will be evaluated annually across nine key parameters, including timely Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) payments to farmers, sugar recovery rate, production per hectare, and use of artificial intelligence. Environmental performance, such as low carbon emissions and carbon credit generation, will also play a role.
A two-tier selection process will identify the best performers-regional committees will nominate top cooperative and private mills, which will then be reviewed by a scrutiny panel led by the Sugar Commissioner. The final winners will be chosen by a committee chaired by the State Cooperation Minister.