State sugar commissioner orders digital weighing machines at mills

Kolhapur: State sugar commissioner Sanjay Kolte has written to the state department of legal metrology (formerly the weights and measures department), directing that all weighing machines at sugar mills used to measure farmers' sugarcane be made digital and linked online to the state portal.Kolte also called for the establishment of govt-run weighing facilities near sugar mills to allow farmers to verify the exact quantity of cane supplied and ensure accurate payment for their produce.The demand for transparency in the weighing process was raised by farmers' leader and former MP Raju Shetti, who cited several instances in which mills allegedly underpaid farmers by recording lower weights than the actual quantity supplied. Even a small fraction of "cane theft" adds up to a significant off-the-books amount over time, Shetti claimed.Kolte has asked the Legal Metrology Department to utilise MP and MLA funds to set up weighing facilities in areas where there are frequent complaints about faulty measurements. He also suggested that farmers could contribute a nominal amount toward setting up such facilities."The farmers are already facing financial losses due to the dropping of the cane weight because of delayed crushing and unfavourable climatic conditions. The sugar mills are run by political heavyweights who are also part of the govt. Therefore, there may come political pressure to make the weighing process transparent. However, it is the fight we are leading for many years and will ensure it gets to a logical end," said Shetti. The Centre fixes the sugar cane price, and payments to farmers are linked to the sugar recovery rate — the amount of sugar produced from one tonne of cane crushed. Faulty weighing reduces the recorded quantity of cane and affects the recovery calculation, ultimately leading to financial losses for farmers.