Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah will attend ‘Sugar Conclave and National Efficiency Award 2022-23’ ceremony as chief guest on Saturday, 10 August 2024 in New Delhi. The award ceremony will be organized by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) Limited. During the event, Shri Amit Shah will also bestow National Efficiency Awards in eight areas of cooperation.

National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) is an apex body comprising all 260 cooperative sugar factories and nine state sugar federations across the country. 

In accordance with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity Through Cooperation), the Ministry of Cooperation has taken several initiatives to boost cooperative sugar factories which includes grant-in-aid to National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for strengthening of cooperative Sugar mills.    

The ‘Efficiency Awards’ constituted by the NFCSF is a yearly affair to evaluate performance of cooperative sugar factories. It evaluates the performance of cooperative sugar factories in Sugarcane Development, Technical Efficiency, Financial Management, Highest Sugarcane Crushing, Highest Sugar Recovery and Maximum Sugar Export and overall performance. The performance was evaluated through an expert committee. After undertaking a rigorous exercise, the expert committee evaluated mill-wise performance and finalised a total 21 Awards for the year 2022-23.

As many as 92 cooperative sugar factories from across the country participated for Efficiency Awards 2022-23 competition. Among those 38 were from Maharashtra, 11 each from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, 10 from Tamil Nadu, eight each from Punjab and Haryana, four from Karnataka and one each from Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively.

With a view to have a level playing field for participant sugar-mills, country’s sugar sector was divided in two groups. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka were kept in the first group as these are higher sugar production (above 10 per cent) states. Total 53 cooperative sugar factories in the country participated from this group. The second group of remaining (below 10 per cent average sugar production) states was formed and a total of 39 cooperative sugar factories included in this group.

Forming such groups encourages factories to enhance efficiency in sugar production and imbibe competitive spirit among them. A policy of "one prize per factory" is also followed.

The conclave to be organised at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi will be attended by Union Ministers of State for Cooperation, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Murlidhar Mohol. The Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons, Managing Directors of all cooperative sugar mills across the country will also attend the event. Besides, ministers who are part of the ministerial group on sugar/ethanol and senior officials related to the sugar sector from the centre and the state have also been invited.

Along with this program, the annual general body meeting of the NFCSF and technical seminar on two key issues of the sugar sector, will also be held. Eminent subject experts will deliberate on the issues that have been affecting, influencing this sector.

*****

RK/VV/PR/PS