Kushtia Sugar Mills Limited

Kushtia is not merely the land made memorable by Baul emperor Fakir Lalon Shah; this district also has a rich identity in history, literature, culture, education and industrial heritage. Along with Lalon Shah's mazar, the Shilaidaha kuthibari, the Lalon Shah Bridge, the Rain-week embankment, the Islamic University and the homestead of the man of letters Mir Mosharraf Hossain, Kushtia holds countless historic and sightworthy places.

At the same time, Kushtia is also known as one of the important industrial areas of the south-western region. Many old and significant industrial establishments have grown up at different places in the district. Among them is Kushtia Sugar Mills Limited, located in the Jagati area about 8 kilometres from Kushtia town.

Not merely a sugar-producing factory, Kushtia Sugar Mill also has a distinct identity as an important institution tied to decades of industrial history, the employment of working people and the local economy.

Where is Kushtia Sugar Mill?

Kushtia Sugar Mills Limited is located in the Jagati area of Kushtia Sadar upazila in Kushtia district. The institution's official documents also list Jagati, Kushtia Sadar, Kushtia as its address.

Jagati is not far from Kushtia town, so this industrial area can easily be reached from the town by road. Alongside the sugar mill, Jagati also has a railway station and a market area.

History of Kushtia Sugar Mill

The history of Kushtia Sugar Mill begins at the start of the 1960s. Various government and institutional documents mention the period of the establishment's founding as around 1961–62. Sugar production started here in the 1965–66 financial year, and in later years its commercial production activities expanded further.

After Bangladesh's independence, like the country's other state-owned industrial establishments, Kushtia Sugar Mill came under government management. At present the institution is under the control of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). Government audit-related documents also describe Kushtia Sugar Mills Limited as an establishment under BSFIC.

The entire shareholding of the institution is owned by the Government of Bangladesh — this information is also noted in the institution's financial documents.

A large industrial complex

Kushtia Sugar Mill is not just a main sugar production unit; various supporting infrastructure and activities are attached to it. Historically, an industrial area, a residential area, roads and rail connections and various cane-collection facilities grew up under the establishment.

Sugarcane is the principal raw material of sugar production. This industrial establishment therefore has an important economic relationship with the agricultural areas of Kushtia and its surroundings. Many people are directly and indirectly involved in cane collection, transport and processing.

Production capacity

Kushtia Sugar Mill's installed cane-crushing capacity is 1,524 metric tons per day (TCD). The institution's financial documents also mention a production capacity of 1,524 TCD.

At the time of establishment the mill's cane-crushing capacity was comparatively lower; later, through modernisation and expansion, it was raised to 1,524 tons per day.

The amount of sugar produced, however, depends on the supply and quality of cane, the production season, the factory's efficiency and other technical and economic factors.

What is produced at Kushtia Sugar Mill?

From sugarcane come not only sugar; along with sugar production, various by-products are also obtained. The main products and by-products of Kushtia Sugar Mill include —

• Sugar
• Chitagur or molasses
• Bagasse
• Press mud

The institution's documents list plantation white sugar as the main product and molasses as the by-product.

Bagasse is essentially the fibrous residue left after cane crushing, while press mud is a by-product created in the sugar production process. These by-products can be used in agriculture, fuel and other industrial works.

The sugar production process

A sugar mill's operations essentially begin with cane collection. When cane collected from farmers arrives at the factory, it is first cleaned and weighed. The cane is then crushed by machines to extract the juice.

In the next stage the cane juice is purified, concentrated and crystallised through various processes. This is how sugar is made. In the same process, by-products such as molasses, bagasse and press mud are also obtained.

In other words, a sugar mill essentially links the agricultural and industrial sectors to one and the same production system.

The sugar mill's role in Kushtia's economy

The importance of Kushtia Sugar Mill is not confined to sugar production alone. The industrial establishment is also connected with the livelihoods of cane growers, workers, officials and staff, transport workers, contractors and people engaged in various supporting businesses.

During the cane season, farmers supply their produced cane to the factory. The sugar mill thus has an influence on cane-growing farmers and on the local economy.

In Bangladesh's government industrial structure, sugar mills create an important link between agriculture and industry. BSFIC documents also mention various initiatives to increase cane production through modern technology, improved cane varieties, mechanisation, irrigation and farmer training.

A part of Jagati's industrial heritage

Kushtia's Jagati is not merely a geographical location; this region is also tied to Kushtia's history of industry and communication. Around the Jagati railway station and the sugar mill, an industrial-economic environment has grown up here over a long time.

Established in the 1960s, this sugar mill still stands as a notable monument of Kushtia's industrial heritage. Countless workers, officers and staff have worked with it for many years. It is through their labour and contribution that the institution has become part of Kushtia's industrial history.

Kushtia Sugar Mill for visitors

When people visit Kushtia, the historic and sightworthy places usually most talked about are Lalon Shah's mazar, the Shilaidaha kuthibari, Mir Mosharraf Hossain's homestead or the Lalon Shah Bridge. But for those who want to know Kushtia's industrial heritage, the Kushtia Sugar Mill at Jagati also carries its own significance.

The vast industrial infrastructure of a heritage sugar mill — its old structures, machinery, and the environment connected with cane transport and sugar production — all together create an opportunity to understand Kushtia's industrial history at close hand.

However, as it is a running industrial establishment, one should not enter the factory premises or take photographs of industrial operations without permission. Anyone wishing to visit directly should seek the permission of the concerned authorities — that is the safe and proper course.

Kushtia Sugar Mill in the history of Kushtia

Kushtia's identity is not only in literature, music and folk culture; this district's history also holds an important chapter of industry. Kushtia Sugar Mills Limited at Jagati is one of the witnesses of that industrial history.

Having set out in the 1960s, this institution has been tied to Kushtia's agriculture, labour and industrial economy for decades. So the list of Kushtia's sightworthy and historic places holds not only architecture or natural beauty — Kushtia Sugar Mill can also be seen as a site of industrial heritage.

For those interested in learning Kushtia's history and heritage, this old industrial establishment at Jagati is undoubtedly an important chapter of the district's industrial heritage.

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