Illegal power crushers threaten production target
Instead of selling their sugarcane to Rangpur Sugar Mills, a section of growers has been selling nearly 150 tonnes of sugarcane every day to illegal power crusher operators in exchange for upfront cash payment.
At least 58 power crushers, used for producing molasses, are being operated this crushing season by influential locals in remote areas where sugarcanes are grown for the sugar mill, located at Mohimaganj of Gobindaganj upazila.
Last month alone, an estimated 3,000 tonnes of sugarcane were consumed for producing molasses and if the practice goes on unabated, the sugar mill might face a shortage in supply of sugarcane this season, said several growers.
Sometimes it takes months to get payment for sugarcane after delivery at the mill and that is why some of the growers prefer selling their sugarcane to the power crusher operators for instant cash, the also said.
Jinnat Ali Prodhan, president of a sugarcane growers’ association based in Mohimaganj, said they were working on to create awareness of growers on the negative impact on sugar production at the factory if the growers continue to sell their produce to the molasses producers.
Besides, the growers should refrain from selling sugarcane to the molasses makers because the latter use a harmful chemical or a cleaning agent called hydrose in the molasses to make it brighter and more attractive so they can sell their molasses at higher prices, he also said.
Rangpur Sugar Mills General Manager (Agriculture) Dilip Kumar Sarker said they traced 58 power crushers in different areas under eight sub-zones of the sugar mill and 14 power crushers were seized during drives conducted by their vigilance teams last month.
In order to expedite the payment process, wthe mill authorities already introduced a digital payment process, through which a supplier now receives payment within a week, he added.
According to a research made available online on March 19, 2015, on the website of Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, “hydrose has a toxic effect to impair kidney function”.
The research was conducted by a team of researchers from Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi; Department of Pharmacology, Rajshahi Medical College; and Department of Pathology, Rajshahi Medical College.
Gaibandha Civil Surgeon Dr ABM Abu Hanif said hydrose should not be used in food items as it is harmful for human health and it is considered poisonous for children. It might cause a number of diseases including cancer.
Rafiqul Islam, managing director of Rangpur Sugar Mills, said they filed a case after seizing a power crusher and some hydrose powder in the area recently.
He also said their vigilance teams are patrolling mill zones and their targeted sugar production this season is 38,500 tonnes from 55,000 sugarcanes.
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