Pune: Maharashtra has emerged as the top performer, securing 10 out of 21 awards announced by the National Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation for the fiscal year 2022-23.

This achievement places Maharashtra ahead of Uttar Pradesh, which received four awards, and Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, which each garnered two awards. Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh each received one award.

The prestigious Vasantdada Patil Award for the best cooperative sugar mill in the country was bestowed upon the Bhimashankar Cooperative Sugar Mill from Ambegaon Taluka. The award ceremony is scheduled for August.

The federation annually evaluates cooperative sugar mills across India based on various criteria including cane productivity, technical quality, financial management, maximum cane crushing, best sugar recovery, and highest sugar export. These evaluations form the basis for the awards. The 21 awards for 2022-23 were announced by Harshvardhan Patil, Chairman of the Federation, with Managing Director Prakash Naiknavare in attendance.

This year's competition saw participation from 92 sugar mills, including 38 from Maharashtra, 11 each from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, 10 from Tamil Nadu, eight each from Punjab and Haryana, four from Karnataka, and one each from Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

States with high sugar recovery rates (minimum average of 10 per cent), such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka, were grouped together, totaling 53 cooperative sugar mills.

Another group comprised 39 mills from states with lower than 10 per cent average sugar recovery, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Awards for Maharashtra:

• Best Cane Productivity:

  • First Place: Krantiagrani Dr. G.D. Bapu Lad Farmers Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Kundal, Palus, Sangli

  • Second Place: Loknete Sundarraoji Solunke Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Sundarnagar, Majalgaon, Beed

• Technical Efficiency:

  • First Place: Shri Pandurang Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Shreepur, Malshiras, Solapur

  • Second Place: Shri Vighnahar Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Junnar

• Record Cane Crushing: Vitthalrao Shinde Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Gangamainagar-Pimpalner, Madha, Solapur

• Record Sugar Recovery: Dr. Patangrao Kadam Sonhira Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Mohanrao Kadam Nagar, Vangi, Kadegaon, Sangli

• Best Sugar Mill: Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Kagal, Kolhapur

• Record Sugar Export:

  • First Place: Jawahar Farmers Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Hupari, Hatkanangale, Kolhapur

  • Second Place: Sahyadri Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd., Yashwantnagar, Karad, Satara