Friday at the Sugar Factory and Textile shopping

Written by Jen Henrie and Dani Hanson

This morning we left New Delhi for Agra. Along the way we stopped at a sugarcane mill. Sugarcane is a major crop in India. The mill is a cooperative with more than 40,000 members from almost 400 separate villages. The mill has a crushing capacity of 1,600 tons per day. Once again, the Indian people greeted us with incredible hospitality. We received flower garlands with white, orange, yellow and red flowers that signify respect for honored guests. During the briefing with the executives, we were served ample portions of fried vegetables, chips, tea, sweetened cashew paste, and sugarcane juice.

The cooperative was started with support from the government and the government still plays a large role in the organization today. Both the federal and state governments have representatives that oversee the cooperative. The state government establishes dedicated procurement areas from which the cooperative can source sugarcane. The state government also establishes a set price the producer receives. In the state where this mill is located, the price is higher than anywhere else in India. Producers do have an option to sell their crop to a mill (cooperative or private) outside the dedicated procurement area if they so choose but they have to secure a waiver from the government.

Our hosts the manager on the left and one of his department
managers the right.

Sugarcane takes 8-10 months to grow and producers often harvest two or three crops from one planting. Sugarcane is grown best in a mix of clay and sandy soil. On average producers harvest 30 tons of cane per acre. Producers can buy seed and other inputs from the cooperative and these inputs are often loaned to producers with no interest.

Sugar cane being delivered to the plant

Harvest generally begins in November and runs through the end of April. Most producers transport the cane to the mill or one of the cooperatives’ satellite locations to be weighed. Producers are paid based on the weight of the product. It is important that the cane is processed as soon as possible after harvest. If it sits, the juice dries out and the cane becomes lighter resulting in less sugar and lower prices for the farmers.

Raw pulp coming out of the crusher

Sending the sugar out for delivery

Rebecca Christmas sampling some of the raw sugar
coming off the line

In addition to sugar, this mill produces three co-products: molasses, which is turned into ethanol; bagasse, the fiber part of the cane, which can be used in the paper industry; and press mud, which is used as a fertilizer. On our tour of the mill, we were able to see the cane processed from whole stalks to white sugar. We also were able to see the bagasse being created. The plant burned some the bagasse to create pressurized steam to power the mill and run the turbines.

They package the sugar in 50 kg bags that are sold through a purchasing agency. The agency turns around and sells to end-users. We also had the opportunity to see a warehouse where the bags can be stored. There was 7,000 tons of sugar stored in just one warehouse we saw. We finished the visit taking photos with many of the mill’s workers and executives, as well as the government’s managing director, Jitendra Kumar Garg.

We stopped for lunch at a small hotel in a relatively rural area, the Country Inn. Alongside a Hindu shrine in the lobby were posters asking guests to leave feedback on Facebook and Trip Advisor, showing us how modernization and technology are reaching far into this country. We boarded the bus to continue our trip to Agra, with plans to visit markets this evening for jewelry, textiles, and stone. Raj began preparing us for our visit to the Taj Mahal tomorrow by telling us the story of Moghul emperor Shah Jahan who erected the massive white marble mausoleum to honor his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

After arriving in Agra, we visited Kohinoor, a jewelry market. Owned by a family that has been involved in the jewelry trade for many years, this market also houses an incredible museum showcasing 3-D embroidered tapestries made by the artist, Shams. Cotton thread is used the build the depth needed for the tapestries and then gold and colored silk thread is woven on top. Many of the tapestries also incorporated precious and semi-precious jewels. Some of the tapestries were acquired by Kohinoor Jewelers from the royal family in return for jewelry.

Kara Kayser got to try on the beautiful Emerald jewelry,
some of it dating back to the 16th century

Next we visited a textile shop. We watched a weaver work on a floor rug and then the craftsmen showed us the process they go through to finish all the rugs, clipping the fabric to create uniform length and bring out the shine. They had many rugs for sale and took custom orders as well. A 9x12 foot rug shipped to America cost $2500 in silk or $2100 in wool. This size rug would take 6 workers 6 months to complete. Also available were scarves, sari dresses, linens, and other textiles and souvenirs.