Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone for two sugar mills at Sakri in Madhubani and Raiyam in Darbhanga on November 20, 2026. Bihar’s Sugarcane Industries Minister Sanjay Kumar said this on Wednesday (July 29, 2026).

“The State government has set a target of establishing 25 sugar mills in the State. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for two sugar mills at Sakri in Madhubani and Raiyam in Darbhanga on November 20 (2026) in the State,” Mr. Kumar said while addressing the press.

The State government is committed to fulfill its resolve to open sugar mills in the State that would not only create employment opportunities in the State but would also increase sugarcane farmers’ income, he added.

Accompanied by Department’s Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Cane Commissioner Anil Kumar Jha, Joint Cane Commissioner Vedvrat, the Minister said that the two sugar mills of Sakri and Raiyam will be run by Cooperative department. Though, the government is trying every possible measure to open more sugar mills in the State, he added.

“Investors are in touch with the department’s senior officials. We have set a target of setting up 25 new sugar mills in the next five years in the state,” Mr. Kumar said, adding that it would take one to two years to begin production at sugar mills.

The sugar mills have made cent per cent payment of sugarcane dues amounting to ₹2,137.83 crore to sugarcane farmers in the crushing season of 2025-26, he said.

The State cabinet has already approved the payment of the outstanding principal sugarcane dues amounting to ₹43 crore for previous crushing seasons to sugarcane farmers in the Sasamusa area, Mr. Kumar said, adding that the decision will facilitate the revival and reopening of the Sasamusa Sugar Mill in Gopalganj. The initiative is expected to attract investors for the re-establishment of the Sasamusa Sugar Mill, he added.

Not only this, but the government has also approved the proposal of taking over the possession of 266 acres of land belonging to the closed Motipur Sugar Mill in Muzaffarpur from M/s Indian Potash Ltd, the Minister said and added that a new sugar mill, a sugarcane research centre, and other industrial units will be established on this land.

The State government has approved the “Bihar Sugar Industry Investment Promotion Policy-2026” which will facilitate the setting up of an integrated Sugar Complexes that will house new sugar mills, distilleries, cogeneration power plants, and Compressed Biogas (CBG) units, Mr. Kumar said and added that these projects will boost production of sugar, ethanol, electricity, and biogas, while promoting capital investment, generating employment, and benefiting sugarcane farmers.

In reply to a query as to when Marhaura sugar mill will be made operational, the Department’s Secretary Dharmendra Singh said that he cannot comment on the issue relating to Marhaura sugar mill as it is currently pending at NCLT. Though, the State government is making efforts to get the issue resolved at the earliest so that the mill is opened at the earliest.

The sugar mill near Marhaura can be opened if any piece of land measuring 50 to 100 acres is available near it, Mr. Singh said while emphasising that the government is taking every possible step to increase sugarcane productivity, its acreage and sugar recovery rate, which is at 10.3%, better than the national average.

Stating that the government has taken a slew of measures for the expansion and promotion of sugarcane farming in the state, he said these measures included the seed development scheme, sugarcane mechanisation scheme, sugarcane nursery scheme, and sugarcane technology expansion programme.

“The department is also carrying out a survey of sugarcane farmers in those districts where people do not grow sugarcane. Earlier, the survey was carried out only in the sugar belt. So far, 2.37 lakh farmers have been surveyed, which covered the total area of 4.91 lakh acres,”Mr. Singh said.

With a view to establishing new sugar mills in the State, the state government has signed MOUs with three of the country’s leading institutions in the field of sugarcane research and technology- Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore, Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), Pune and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna- for the overall development of sugarcane production.

These MOUs aim to provide technical assistance and support the production of sugarcane seed varieties suitable for the State’s agro-climatic conditions.

Published - July 30, 2026 07:17 am IST