Sugar mills plans to generate cane power

Sugarcane coir can be a source of power generation at a time when the country faces a crisis in meeting the rising demand for electricity, industry minister Dilip Barua said Sunday.

Barua said the government is seriously considering the prospects of generating electricity from sugarcane coir in sugar mills throughout the country.

It has already decided to set up necessary machinery to facilitate sugar mills with dual production, sugar and electricity, he said.

Barua was talking to reporters at the Shilpa Bhaban after a meeting with representatives of the concerned ministry, sugar industry and other agencies.

Greater distillery production is also being mulled to make government-owned sugar mills profitable, the minister added.

The government has selected the Rajshahi, Faridpur and Mobarakpur sugar mills to set up new distillery plants.

He said the mills are incurring losses every year due to lack of sugarcane. Initiatives have been taken to ensure better supply, he added.

The government is concentrating on producing hybrid sugarcanes to increase supply to the mills, which Barua hoped would bring at least a 10 percent increase in sugar production.

The minister said local production of sugar is just 60,000 tonnes this year against the demand for 1,200,000 tonnes. The Bangladesh Sugar And Food Industries Corporation has been ordered to assess the international market price of sugar and import the shortfall.

source: bdnews24