Sugar Commissionerate

A co-operative society is a form of organization formed purely by individuals with similar needs who come together to achieve their common economic goals. It uses one person one vote system. At the very beginning, there was a farmer's organization in England on a cooperative basis. Co-operative movement in India first started under the Co-operative Societies Act of 1904. The Act was intended to promote the co-operative movement, however, the objective was limited. The Co-operative Societies Act of 1912 was subsequently enacted to extend the provisions of this Act to a wider area. According to that act registration of all types of co-operative societies was made available and a registrar was appointed for effective implementation of this act and for administrative work. And out of that, the cooperative department was established. After it was decided to hand over the matter of co-operation under the jurisdiction of the central government to the provincial governments, the respective provincial governments started making their own laws. The Co-operative Act of 1925 was enacted for the Province of Bombay. In 1947, the Bombay Agricultural Produce Market Regulation (1939) and the Bombay Money Lenders Act (1946) were brought under the control of the Registrar.

After the independence of the country, as per the provisions of the Constitution of India, the matter of cooperation was referred to the respective state governments. Accordingly, the state government passed the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 which is currently in existence. In this act, All the provisions related to registration of cooperative societies, rights and responsibilities of members of the societies, duties and privileges of the societies, various forms of financial and similar assistance of the State Government to the societies, assets and funds of the societies, Detailed provisions are made regarding management of institutions, audit of affairs of institutions, enquiry, inspection and supervision, settlement of disputes, winding up of institutions, elections, crimes and punishments, appeals, revision and other general matters related to the functioning of institutions, have been made this act.

In the year 1970, the then Minister for Cooperation, Hon. Shri. Yashwantrao Mohite, had issued a white paper regarding the restructuring of the Cooperative Department and the Cooperative Movement. Accordingly, a State Level Accounts Committee was established. And then a separate Sugar Directorate (present Sugar Commissionerate), Marketing Directorate and Textile Directorate came into existence. The Cooperative Department was expanded by establishing a Cooperative Court in 1975 and a Taluka level office in 1981.

In 1971, the Sugar Directorate was established in Pune under the Cooperative Department. In 1991-92, the status of the Sugar Directorate was upgraded to Sugar Commissionerate. The said office was functioning in PMT Building on Shankarshet Road, Swargate, Pune till 2000. 7.5 acres of land of Agriculture College, Narveer Tanajiwadi, Shivajinagar was given for the Sugar Complex. With the financial help of the sugarcane supplier farmers, a beautiful and well-equipped Sugar Commissionerate building was built for this building. This building was inaugurated on 01.01.2001. The Sugar Complex, Sugar Commissionerate located in Shivajinagar, Pune, which is an important component of the sugar sector, plays an important role in the social and economic development of the state.

The sugar industry has been the focal point of the economic and social development of rural Maharashtra. That is why the role of Sugar Commissionerate is important in the social and economic development of the state. The Sugar Commissionerate plays a dual role of development oriented and regulatory. The powers and duties of the Sugar Commissioner under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960 are equivalent to those of the Registrar.

• Establishment of cooperative sugar factories, distilleries, co-generation, ethanol and other by-product projects.
• Granting financial and administrative approval to modernization, expansion, distillery, ethanol and co-generation projects of cooperative sugar factories.

• The Sugar Commissionerate regulates the functioning of cooperative sugar factories as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960 and the rules thereunder, 1961.
• Registration of cooperative sugar factories, their bye-laws, amendment and implementation.
• To allow cooperative sugar factories to be run on lease, partnership or collaboration basis.
• To grant financial and administrative approval to cooperative sugar factories for expansion, modernization and setting up of by-product production projects.
• To fix the rates permissible for the sugar factories as per the Revenue Sharing Formula and pay the rates with the approval of the Sugarcane Control Board.
• Work on Staffing pattern for officers and employees in the cooperative sugar factories.
• To prepare the new panel of managing directors of the cooperative sugar factories and approving their appointments and pay/ salary fixation.
• Providing government share capital, loans and financial assistance from financial institutions on government guarantee to the cooperative sugar factories for various activities.
• Following up on the provision of financial assistance and grants, interest subsidies, etc. received under various schemes from the Central and State Governments to the sugar factories.
• Finalize the harvesting and transportation expenses of sugar factories after the end of the crushing season and take action to finalize the sugar extraction by obtaining the Diversion Certificate from Vasantdada Sugar Institute Manjari, Pune.
• Collect information on sugarcane available for the crushing season, review as necessary, update the estimate of sugarcane availability and submit a report to the Central Government.
• Prepare a panel of qualified auditors to conduct “Cost Audit & Energy Audit” by sugar factories and follow up for the audit.
• Submit annual / quarterly / quarterly budget to the State Government, reconcile government funds with expenditure and deposits.
• Resolve the paras in the inspection report of the Auditor General.
• To establish study groups to implement new technologies and innovative activities for the development of sugar industry and submit reports to the state and central governments for appropriate action, organize workshops, seminars and plan field visits, etc. Work.
• Establishment related work of officers and employees of sugar Commissionerate office and all Regional Joint Director's Offices.
• Issuing crushing licenses to cooperative/private sugar factories and regulating sugarcane crushing.
• Regulating the provision of fair and remunerative price (FRP) providing to farmers by sugar factories. To adopt legal provisions for the same.
• Work related to recovery of government share capital, loans, guarantee fees, loans on guarantee.
• Work related to issuing aerial distance certificates for new sugar factories.
• Work related to auditing of cooperative sugar factories.

About 40 lakh farmers in Maharashtra harvest sugarcane. The annual turnover of Maharashtra's sugar industry, directly and indirectly, is about one lakh crore rupees. In 2024-25 the Sugarcane area in State is more than 13.73 lakh hectares in the state. The sugar industry has a major contribution to the economic and social development of the state. Maharashtra accounts for one-third of the country's sugar production. In rural areas, the sugar industry has created a network of educational institutions, hospitals, consumer organizations, Lift irrigation schemes, Agricultural Service Centers. The sugar industry has created distilleries, ethanol, co-generation, particle board, fertilizers, drip irrigation, oxygen generation, green hydrogen production, other chemical products and agro-based industries. The number of sugarcane farmers in the state is about three lakh. The number of workers working in all sugar factories is around two lakh. In the 2024-25 season, a total of 200 sugar factories were in operation, among them 99 factories were on the cooperative basis and 101 Factories were on the private basis. These factories have crushed 855.10 lakh MT of sugarcane during the season and produced 81.04 lakh MT of sugar and 9.487% sugar yield has produced.