Bangladesh’s state-owned sugar mills under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) have failed to meet their production targets for the 2025–26 crushing season. The nine operational mills produced 43,326 tons of sugar against a target of 51,857 tons, falling short by 8,531 tons, or more than 16 percent. Compared to the previous season, production dropped by 2,861 tons. Only Thakurgaon and Zeal Bangla sugar mills exceeded their targets, while North Bengal Sugar Mill recorded the highest output and Joypurhat the lowest.

The total sugarcane crushed this season was 782,673 tons, below the target of 850,000 tons. The overall sugar recovery rate slightly improved to 5.53 percent from 5.5 percent last season but remained unsatisfactory. Officials attributed the decline to outdated machinery, lack of modern processing methods, and poor-quality cane varieties. Most mills are decades old, with ten of fifteen mills having exceeded their operational lifespan.

Although a modernization plan was proposed earlier, it stalled after the government changed in 2024. A task force was formed to revive closed mills, but the finance ministry did not allocate funds, leaving production suspended and equipment deteriorating.