IPL’s Badamba revival set to restore farmers’ livelihoods and rural economy in Odisha
Cuttack: Indian Potash Limited (IPL), which has been taking up the revival of closed cooperative sugar mills as part of its farmer-centric approach, is now preparing to restart the Badamba Cooperative Sugar Mill in Odisha. With staffing and other preparations progressing, the mill’s reopening is expected to restore the local sugarcane economy and create new livelihood opportunities for farmers and people in the surrounding region.
The Badamba mill, which has remained closed for more than 15 years, is being revived and modernised by IPL with an estimated investment of around Rs 360 crore. The project will have a sugarcane crushing capacity of 3,500 tonnes per day, along with a 16 MW co-generation power plant, a 10-tonne-per-day Bio-CNG plant and a modern cold-storage facility. The project is expected to directly benefit around 10,000 farmers in Badamba block of Cuttack district.
For local farmers, the significance of the project goes beyond the reopening of a factory. A functioning sugar mill creates an assured local market for sugarcane and encourages farmers to return to or expand cane cultivation. The revival is therefore expected to strengthen farm incomes by connecting farmers more closely with an organised procurement and processing system.
IPL’s approach to sugar-mill revival is based on restoring the complete agricultural value chain rather than merely restarting production. The company’s experience in Gujarat is an example. For the revival and modernisation of three closed cooperative sugar mills at Talala, Kodinar and Valsad, IPL has invested around Rs 305 crore. It also repaid about Rs 300 crore of outstanding loans and settled Rs 40.09 crore in pending dues to employees, vendors, farmers and statutory bodies. The initiative also included promotion of improved sugarcane varieties to expand the cane area and raise productivity.
This model has already shown how the revival of a sugar mill can influence the wider lives of farmers. The government has noted that the Gujarat projects are expected to benefit thousands of farmers and the rural economy.
The same farmer-focused model is now being extended to Badamba. With the mill becoming operational, farmers can benefit from renewed demand for sugarcane, while employment opportunities are expected to emerge in cane procurement, plant operations, engineering, maintenance, transport, logistics, administration and other activities.
The economic impact is likely to spread beyond direct employment. Sugarcane cultivation creates demand for agricultural inputs, farm labour, harvesting equipment and transportation. Once the mill starts functioning, local mechanics, transporters, small businesses, contractors, service providers and other ancillary activities are also expected to gain from higher economic activity.
The integrated infrastructure planned at Badamba can further deepen this impact. The proposed co-generation plant, Bio-CNG facility and cold storage will create additional economic activity around the sugar mill and help diversify its operations. The original project plan envisages these facilities as part of a modern agro-industrial complex.
IPL’s wider presence in the sugar sector also gives it significant experience in working with farmers. The company currently owns 11 sugar mills — six in Uttar Pradesh, three in Gujarat and two in Odisha. Across these operations, the company’s role is increasingly linked not only to sugar processing but also to strengthening sugarcane cultivation, improving farm practices and creating a more integrated agricultural value chain.
Recent initiatives in Gujarat underline this approach. IPL has entered into partnerships focused on improving sugarcane productivity through scientific agronomy, better irrigation, crop nutrition, farmer training and technology-based interventions. Another recent programme with UPL Sustainable Agri Solutions is aimed at improving productivity and profitability for farmers in the catchment area of IPL’s Kodinar Sugar Mill through improved agronomic practices, digital tools and regenerative agriculture.
The Badamba project is also aligned with the broader national effort to revive closed cooperative sugar mills and strengthen the rural economy. The Union government has highlighted IPL’s work in this area and its role in reviving closed cooperative sugar mills following the successful Gujarat experience.
For farmers, the timing is significant. The government has fixed the Fair and Remunerative Price for sugarcane at Rs 365 per quintal for the 2026-27 sugar season at a basic recovery rate of 10.25%, underlining the policy focus on ensuring remunerative returns to cane growers.
Against this backdrop, the reopening of Badamba Sugar Mill could become an important turning point for the farming community in the region. A local processing facility can provide farmers with a stronger market for their crop, while the associated industrial and service activities can create additional sources of employment and income.
For IPL, the Badamba revival is therefore more than an infrastructure project. It represents the company’s broader effort to bring closed cooperative assets back into productive use, reconnect them with farmers and rebuild rural economies around agriculture.
With preparations for operations and recruitment gathering pace, the revival of Badamba Sugar Mill could usher in a new phase of prosperity for farmers and communities in Cuttack’s Badamba region — restoring not just a sugar mill, but an entire agricultural and economic ecosystem.