Maharashtra sugar factories have completed verification, stamping and sealing of weighbridges at 162 cooperative and private units before the 2026-27 sugarcane crushing season, in a government-backed effort to improve transparency in cane weighing and address complaints of short measurement.
The action was carried out by the Legal Metrology Department under planning by the regional joint directors of sugar. The Sugar Commissionerate said the process at the remaining factories was continuing according to schedule, with priority being given to transparent weighing operations during the season.
The checks follow instructions issued by Sugar Commissioner Dr Sanjay Kolte to all regional joint directors of sugar on September 30, 2026. The instructions called for inspection, stamping and sealing of factory weighbridges through the Legal Metrology Department in the presence of farmer groups and representatives of farmer organisations.
The intervention responds to complaints raised by farmer organisations about possible manipulation in the weighing of sugarcane. The department has also announced district-wise WhatsApp numbers for complaints relating to sugarcane weighbridges. These channels are intended to give farmers a direct route to report problems during the crushing season.
The Sugar Commissionerate said 214 sugar factories had submitted proposals to undertake sugarcane crushing in Maharashtra during the 2026-27 season. Online licences have been issued to 200 of those factories. The figures include both cooperative and private factories, although the supplied information does not provide a district-wise breakdown of the 162 units whose weighbridges have completed stamping and sealing.
Weighbridge verification is a regulatory step that establishes whether the equipment is measuring accurately and whether it has been checked before use. Sealing is intended to protect the approved setting and provide a visible indication if the equipment is interfered with after inspection. For farmers, the weighing record is a key part of the process through which the quantity of cane supplied to a factory is determined.
The presence of farmer representatives during the inspection process adds an oversight mechanism at the local level, while the complaint numbers create a formal channel for grievances. However, the Sugar Commissionerate has not, in the information supplied, released details of complaints received, violations detected or action taken against factories found to have irregular weighbridges.
The inspection and sealing work is continuing at the remaining factories under the regional planning process. The next operational milestone will be the completion of weighbridge verification across factories authorised to undertake crushing during the 2026-27 season.
