NATORE. Oct 9: Natore Sugar Mills and North Bengal Sugar Mills at Gopalpur — highest profit earning sugar mills in the country — are on the verge of closure due to unabated use of power crushers in the mill zone areas for producing molasses, reports UNB.

Natore Sugar Mill sources said the crushing season of 1997-98 is expected to be started in the third week of this month, whereas, a section of unscrupulous molasses traders started producing molasses using power crushers from the first week of August defying government ban.

The mill authorities said that the growers who received loans and agri-inputs from the mills for producing sugarcane are now supplying their produce illegally to molasses traders violating their agreements with the mill.

The growers alleged that they have been suffering due to irregularities in payment of money by the mill authorities and are compelled to supply their product to the molasses traders.

They also said that the mill s procurement rate Is comparatively low. adding that molasses traders are purchasing sugarcane between Tk 60 and Tk 65 per maund while mill procurement rate is Tk 37 per maund.

Besides, traders purchase sugarcane in the field with cash payment, but mills cannot do so. They have to wait for moths to supply to the mill. For this, sugarcane dry up after harvest ing incurring huge financial losses to them.

Informed sources said about 375 power crushers and 220 country crushers are being used in Natore Sugar Mills zone and 400 power crushers and 175 country crushers in North Bengal Sugar Mills zone for producing molasses. Country crushers are only allowed to produce mo lasses for domestic consumption not for commercial purpose.

According to Bangladesh Food and Sugar Industries Corporation (BI%IC) sources, the authorities as well as government have decided to privatise all sugar mills of the country

except Natore and North Bengal Sugar Mills. The two mills earned over Tk 100 crore net profit over the last decade

Natore Sugar Mills fixed a target of producing 18.700 mts of sugar for the upcoming crushing season while the North Bengal Sugar Mills 23,500 mts of sugar But the possibilities of achieving the targets are bleak due to un abated crushing of sugarcane for molasses, mill sources said

More than 100 wholesale molasses centres have been set up in the western part of the dis trict railway station and Na-tore-Rajshani highway From here about 1.500 mts of molasses are being transported everyday to different parts of the country. Moreover, huge quan tity of molasses are being smuggled out to India. Nepal. Bhutan and Myanmar, the sources added

The mills authorities said the government should take more pragmative and stringent measures in this regard for greater interest of the country's sugar mills.