State-owned Mubarakganj Sugar Mill Limited (MSM) at Kaliganj in Jhenaidah is going to produce 10,400 tonnes of sugar from 1.6 lakh tonnes of sugarcane in the current crushing season.
The recovery rate of the sugar from the cane was fixed at 6.50 per cent.
‘The mills had produced a total of 7,069 tons of sugar from 138,800 tons of sugarcane in the last crushing season,’ said the mills sources.
The mills are running with a loss of Tk 554.06 crore. ‘The mills could not pay the retired officials and staff the gratuity and other benefits which required for an amount of Tk 22.51 crore in the couple of years. But the mills authority is not considering the matter for an unknown reason and made the retired staff agitated,’ they said.
Having no retirement gratuity and benefits for years together, the officials and staff went on pension, had been leading inhuman life. Some of them also not in a position even to purchase medicines at the end of their lives.
Production of sugar with the dilapidated machineries and equipments in the mills installed above 50 years ago along with non-repairing the same in time and least rate of sugar recovery from the old variety of sugarcane was mainly liable for the continuous loss.
Further, alleged corruption by a section of the members of the staff in fields and office was also blamed for the loss, said the concern persons.
The sources said no new machine or equipment was procured in last five decades and they had been producing the sugar in the almost outdated machineries which were not maintained properly as required.
Further, the concern research department could not invent any high yielding and improved variety of cane since independence of the country about 50 years back.
The present varieties cannot ensure maximum sugar as it should be. Moreover, alleged corruption by a section of members of mills staff both in fields and office adds additional losses to the mills every year.
When contacted, MSM Managing Director Anwar Kabir said a quarter had been claiming that the sale proceeds of sugar and molasses had been taken away to their head office to meet up the salary and other expenses in Dhaka every month, was not true.
The MD said they had to pay about Tk 10 crore to the retired officials and staff for the last two years and for want of surplus fund with the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), they could not be paid.
Admitting the production cost of the sugar in his mills, Anwar said they had been producing the sugar at the rate of Taka 121 each kilogram, while selling the same at Tk 60 losing Tk 61 against each kilogram.
The sugar mills MD informed that about 3,000 tons of sugar for an amount of Taka 18 crore was lying unsold in his stores of which 1,500 tons was stored for reserved heads for some of the essential departments.
