Sakri and Raiyam sugar mills have been closed since 1997. Raiyam mill was established in 1914 while Sakri mill was set up in 1933. (Representational image)
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
With a view to explore the potential of carrying out “cooperating farming” in the State, Bihar’s Cooperative Minister Pramod Kumar on Monday (February 23, 2026) asserted that teams of 50 persons each associated with cooperative societies will be sent to Gujarat to study cooperative farming.
Asserting that the State has potential for cooperative farming in view of small land holdings, Mr. Kumar while addressing the press said that “a team of 50 persons each associated with cooperative societies of the department will visit Gujarat and see how people are carrying out cooperative farming and how it is creating employment opportunities there (in Gujarat). The teams after studying Gujarat’s cooperative farming will replicate the same in Bihar.”
Stating that Bihar has the potential of carrying out cooperative farming, the Minister said that “now the State’s farmers do not have big land holdings. Earlier, farmers used to have 100 acres, 150 acres or 200 acres of land but now that is not the case. Now, it [land parcels] has been further divided into small pieces of land. We are exploring the potential of cooperative farming in the State.”
Also Read | Sugar production to revive next sugar season
The Minister was accompanied by Cooperative Department’s Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Registrar, Cooperative Societies Rajnish Kumar Singh, Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies Ram Naresh Pandey and others on the occasion.
Cooperative has the potential of giving employment opportunities, Mr. Kumar said, adding that the department is looking into the possibilities of creating employment through cooperatives as it has the potential to create employment opportunities.
Citing the example of the famous Tilkut business of Gaya, he said that plenty of firms are engaged in the preparation of Tilkut in the area. Interestingly, til [sesame seeds] is not produced in the State as it is imported from other States such as Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
“After talking to farmers, we will explore whether or not til can be produced in the Magadh region through cooperative farming,”Mr. Kumar said.
Stating that he has reviewed paddy procurement in 22-23 districts of the State, Mr. Kumar said the department has, so far, procured 29.22 lakh metric tonnes of paddy which is 79.30% of the target of 36.85 lakh MT that is to be procured in the current Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025-26.
Paddy has been procured from a total of 4.28 lakh farmers through 6,879 cooperative societies, he said adding that ₹6,400 crore has been transferred into the bank accounts of farmers as Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Meanwhile, the State’s cooperative department on Monday (February 23, 2026) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF), New Delhi for reviving two closed sugar mills at Sakri in Madhubani district and Raiyam in Darbhanga district of the State.
The MoU was signed at a function held at Deep Narayan Singh Regional Institute of Cooperative Management, Patna. It was held in the presence of Cooperative Minister Department’s Secretary and NFCSF Managing Director Prakash Naiknavare and others.
Both Sakri and Raiyam sugar mills have been closed since 1997. Raiyam mill was established in 1914 while Sakri mill was set up in 1933.
Sakri sugar mill has 47 acres of land whereas Raiyam has over 68 acres of land. Besides, Raiyam has its own dedicated 14 km long trolley line which goes upto a place named Makdumpur.
Published – February 24, 2026 06:45 am IST
