Patna: State’s cooperative department on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF), New Delhi, for the revival of two closed sugar mills at Sakri in Madhubani district and Raiyam in Darbhanga district.The MoU was signed at a function held at Deep Narayan Singh Regional Institute of Cooperative Management in the state capital in the presence of cooperative minister Pramod Kumar, cooperative department secretary Dharmendra Singh, NFCSF managing director Prakash Naiknavare and others.The agreement was formally signed by cooperative department joint secretary Mohammad Abdul Rab Khan and NFCSF managing director Prakash Naiknavare.“Under the agreement, NFCSF, which acts as a nodal agency for the revival of closed mills, will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and a Feasibility Report, besides providing other consultancy services for setting up the sugar mills,” an official said.NFCSF serves as the apex body for cooperative sugar mills across the country and supports more than 260 member factories by addressing policy issues, offering technical guidance and facilitating modernisation.The federation’s extensive experience and expertise are expected to expedite the revival process and ensure the economic viability of the proposed cooperative sugar mills, the official added.Presiding over the programme, the cooperative minister said two cooperative sugar mills are being revived at Sakri and Raiyam. “A cooperative society of sugarcane-producing farmers will be formed for the cooperative sugar mill area, through which farmers will have access to a stable local market. This will ensure that sugarcane producers receive a fair price for their produce. New employment opportunities will be created in rural areas, leading to fresh capital inflow into the local economy,” he said.Two separate complexes are proposed at Sakri and Raiyam. These facilities will undertake not only sugar production but also power generation, ethanol production and compressed biogas (CBG) production, another official said.The decision to revive the closed sugar mills was taken a few months ago under the state govt’s second resolve, “Samriddh Udyog-Sashakt Bihar” (Prosperous Industry-Empowered Bihar), as part of its “Saat Nischay-3” (2025-30) programme.A high-level committee chaired by the chief secretary transferred the Sakri and Raiyam mills to the cooperative department for revival and operationalisation.Both mills have remained closed since 1997. The Raiyam sugar mill was established in 1914, while the Sakri sugar mill was set up in 1933 during British rule.The Sakri mill has 47 acres of land, while Raiyam has over 68 acres. Raiyam also has a dedicated 14-km trolley line extending up to Makdumpur. The process of transferring this land to the cooperative department is currently underway.registrar, cooperative societies, Rajnish Kumar Singh, and additional registrar, cooperative societies, Vikas Kumar Bariar, were also present on the occasion.
