Sugar production declines in Mahottari

By Rabindra Upreti,Bardibas, Apr. 4: Sugar production in Mahottari district, a key hub for sugarcane farming, has continued to decline as mills struggle with inadequate raw material supply.

According to Everest Sugar Mill in Ramnagar, the industry failed to meet its production target in the current crushing season 2025/26. 

The mill processed 2,853,178 quintals of sugarcane this season, producing only 261,738 quintals of sugar, said Financial General Manager Bimal Chandra Thakur.

The figure marks a drop compared to the previous years. The mill had produced 270,588 quintals of sugar in the 2023/24 season and 264,591 quintals in 2024/25.

This year, the mill had aimed to crush at least 3.1 million quintals of sugarcane and produce around 279,000 quintals of sugar. However, due to a shortage of about 200,000 quintals of sugarcane supply, production fell short of the target by 18,000 quintals, said Thakur.

Although production has declined, the sugar recovery rate has improved. 

Last year, the recovery rate had dropped to 8.72 per cent, but this year it increased to 9.17 per cent, according to the mills. 

This means that from one quintal of sugarcane, 8.72 kg of sugar was produced last year, whereas this year it increased to 9.17 kg.

According to the mills, the exact reason for the fluctuation in recovery rates is still unclear. 

However, technicians estimate that the sugarcane supplied this year from the Sarlahi region was fresher and of better quality compared to last year's, which contributed to the improvement.

On the other hand, Thakur said that around 80 per cent of farmers are still cultivating older, non-recommended sugarcane varieties, which has prevented both production and recovery rates from increasing as expected.

He said that farmers are being encouraged to adopt new and improved varieties to boost both production and sugar recovery.