HUMAN RIGHTS

VOILATION IN
MAHARSHTRA
SUGAR SUPPLY
CHAIN
An investigation into the exploitation of workers in the sugar production
industry in Maharashtra, India.

by Anukeerthana Shanmugam
INTRODUCTION
India is one of the world's largest sugar producers, ranking second in global
sugar exports and earning $4 billion annually. However, a bitter truth lies at the
bottom of the supply chain. Oxfam reports that almost 200,000 children under
14 work in the hazardous Indian sugar cane industry, with children as young as
six harvesting sugar cane in Maharashtra.

According to government data, there are 50 million farm workers cultivating

sugarcane across India, and some studies suggest a third of those workers are
children. The executive director of the child rights movement Bachpan Bachao
Andolan has found children being trafficked from Rajasthan and other parts of
India to work in the sugarcane fields of Maharashtra.

The data on child workers in India varies widely, with UNICEF estimating over
10.2 million children between 5-14 working, while local child rights
organizations put the number closer to 60 million.
Scenario in Maharashtra
Sugar Mill Cooperative Unsustainable Exacerbating
Dominance Concerns Practices Poverty

Maharashtra has the Allegations of Though sugarcane The expansion of

largest number of politicians diverting occupies only 4% of sugar mills in
sugar mills in India, cooperative mill Maharashtra's Marathwada has
including the funds for elections cropped area, it coincided with
highest and other purposes consumes 71.5% of acute water scarcity,
concentration of are well the state's irrigated forcing farmers to
cooperative sugar documented. water. This is migrate and leading
mills. The state's Maharashtra's especially to increased poverty
sugar industry cooperative sugar problematic in and even suicides in
wields significant mills owe an drought-prone some cases.
political influence. estimated ₹3.35 regions like
billion in cane Marathwada.
arrears to farmers.
Occupational Hazards and Education
Impacts
1 Child Labor
A staggering 0.2 million children below 14
years of age accompany their parents
every cutting season, with over half being
deprived of their right to education.
3 Hazardous Working Conditions
The cane cutting and loading process is
tedious and dangerous, with women
workers facing accidents, injuries, and
even death due to the hazardous
conditions.
2 Child Marriage
The safety and security concerns for girl
children have led to a high rate of early
child marriages in the community, with
Maharashtra being one of the top states
for child marriage prevalence.
4 Lack of Childcare
Childcare and care work responsibilities
fall on women and adolescent girls,
leading to higher dropout rates, especially
for girls, due to safety concerns and the
need to assist with care work.
Sexual and Reproductive Health

Lack of access to toilets and water scarcity leads to unsafe and humiliating
conditions for women workers, especially during menstrual cycles. Poor
menstrual hygiene causes infections and serious health issues like cervical
cancer. Over 90% of women are anemic due to poor diet.

Lack of medical facilities near labor camps and a nexus between private
practitioners and hospitals leads to unethical hysterectomies, with over 85%
conducted in Beed district.
Reasons
• Lack of alternative employment opportunities at the source locations
• Unproductive agricultural land leading to low incomes
• Political conflicts over land, water, and other resources
• Deeply rooted caste system and gender disparity
• Most workers take wage advances from contractors, pushing them into debt traps
Conclusion
Responsible Sourcing
Sugar mills and food/beverage companies
must undertake human rights due
diligence (HRDD) in their supply chains as
per the UN Guiding Principles.
Grievance Mechanisms
Establishing effective operational
grievance mechanisms (OGMs) is crucial
to identify and address worker issues
early on.

Collaborative Action
Food/beverage companies, sugar mills, and industry bodies should work together to
implement these solutions across the supply chain.