The 49th sugarcane crushing season at Faridpur Sugar Mill in Madhukhali upazila officially commenced for the 2024-2025 season on Friday afternoon.

The inauguration took place at the mill's Cane Carrier premises, where sugarcane was ceremonially thrown into a crusher to mark the beginning of the new crushing season.

Before the inauguration ceremony, a discussion session was held on the Cane Carrier premises.

Chaired by the mill’s Managing Director Md. Saifullah, Azaharul Islam, Director of Commercial, Planning, and Development of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), delivered the keynote address.

Other speakers included Imrul Hasan, Assistant Police Superintendent (Madhukhali Circle), Rakib Hossain Chowdhury Iran, President of Madhukhali Upazila BNP, Maulana Alimuzzaman, Amir of Madhukhali Upazila Jamaat, Md. Shahin Mia, President of Faridpur Sugar Mill Workers Union, and Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan, President of the Sugarcane Growers' Welfare Organization.

Managing Director Saifullah said that the sugarcane harvest this year comes from 4,252 acres of land planted during the 2023-2024 planting season.

The MD informed that based on an expected yield of 75,000 to 80,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane, the mill aims to complete the crushing season within 75 to 80 days.

The recovery rate of sugar from the crushed cane has been set at 6.5%, with a target sugar production of approximately 5,000 metric tonnes, said he.

During the event, awards and certificates were presented to 14 sugarcane farmers from seven subzones, including Subrata Ghosh, Dayal Pramanik, Riazul Islam, Zahid Hossain, Shoukat Ali Khan, Sirajul Islam, Ripon Hossain, and Ayen Uddin.