Sahakari Khand Udyog Mandal Ltd., Gandevi was registered under Bombay Co-operative Societies Act 1925 in the year 1956. The factory is situated in South Gujarat near Mumbay-Ahmedabad National Highway in Navsari District of Gujarat in Gandevi Tehsil. It is surrounded by Maroli, Mahuva and Valsad sugar factories of 2500 TCD, 3500 TCD and 5000 TCD capacities respectively within the radial distance of 30 K.M.

Initially it started its cane crushing with cane crushing capacity of 400 TCD in the year 1962, with farmers capital, State borrowings and IFCI term finance. Subsequently its capacity expanded to 1500 TCD up to 1976-77 year. The factory endeavoured very hard and aroused the interest of the farmers in sugarcane farming with higher yield and increase in the area of crop. With the above continuous efforts for the required quantum of sugarcane it increased its crushing capacities to 2000 TCD in the year 1981-82 and 3500 TCD in 1991-92 and 5000 TCD in 1997-98. The farmers are also provided scientifically treated cane seeds at subsided rates. A team of more than hundred trained personnel headed by Cane Development Manager inspect the sugarcane farms of the share holders, guide them and counsels with them regularly. Regular seminars on cane farming, input management and varietal plantations are held with the help of The Agricultural University in this area. The factory has its own Biological laboratory, where biological control of pest and decease is handled in the affected farms. The tissue culture laboratory of the factory provides healthy plants of sugarcane. Soil testing laboratory of the factory regularly take the soil samples of the farmers soil and gives guidance. The harvesting and transportation is also closely supervised by the Agri. staff so that round the clock fresh cane is reached to the mill without loss of time. The factory takes utmost care for fresh and clean cane to be milled. The cumulative results of the efforts is that the factory’s season average recovery has remained number one in Gujarat in the last decade.

The factory is situated in very much enlightened and educated area, and inherited the veteran Co-operators and devoted social workers who contributed their utmost during the independence struggles. Today Gandevi Tehsil’s average way of life is largely associated with Co-operative organizations like Fruit Mandalis, Milk Mandalis, Credit Societies and People’s Banks and Village-wise primary Mandalis.

Ever since the sugar factory established, the social and co-operative workers worked jointly with farmers and the factory also aided and guided the farmers to grow more cane. With the results to-day 14000 farmers members, holding small agri-land are supplying sugarcane to the tune of Ten lack ( 1 Ml. ) tones to the factory and the factory of 5000 T.C.D. achieves the average crushing of 5800 TCD or so. The cane payments are very much regular and perhaps these has crossed the international cane price also. The cane payments are directly deposited through money transfer in their respective bank accounts and farmers also deposit their surplus money with the factory, thus providing a source for working capital to the factory. The farmers are provided the crop finance in collaboration with District Central Bank.

The sugar factory has its own distillery for manufacturing industrial alcohol and ethanol, the daily capacity of which is 45 KLPD. The recovery of alcohol from molasses is also note worthy in Gandevi Sugar. Besides, wedded to zero pollution, the unit is equipped with bio-compost plant in 33 acres of land. The composted fertilizer in further enriched in the fully equipped plant and supplied to farmers farms at much cheaper rate.

In the sugar mill of Gandevi when expanded in 1991-92 to 3500 TCD took utmost care for the cost of project and cost of conversion. With reference, the factory was first in the co-operative sector to go for a single milling tandem of 3500 TCD, with the newly invented G.R.P.F. technology, and future provision of 5000 TCD. The result is that in subsequent year 1996-97 when expanded to 5000 T.C.D. the cost of the expansion remained minimum and the cost of conversion of sugarcane into sugar has also gone down.

At factory site continuous evaluation of energy consumption is carried out and continuous efforts to reduce input are made. The factory intends to further reduce the energy consumption and also plans for manufacturing of sulphur-less sugar and also desirous of sugar packing in small packing for retailing. Further it has also started working for incidental co-generation of electricity.

With regard to its management as per Bye-laws of the society and the Co-operative Societies Act, every three years the share holders elect the Board of Directors and the Board of Director elect the Chairman and Vice-chairman for three years term. The District Collector invariably holds the election procedure and the elections are conducted. The readers may be surprised to know that the Gandevi Sugar, eversince its inception has continuously gone in to election and, the directors with professional mind with atleast graduation has been elected and that too they are re-elected for several terms.

The present board consist of 13 elected directors of which 10 directors are graduate in different disciplines. So, the organization has a continuous and stable management since long. The factory has never lag behind the fulfillment’s of its social obligations during the last decade the factory has spent more than Rs. 3 crores for education, health, roads, canals and other social work.

The factory has never lag behind for repayment of its borrowings and other obligations and also obeys the rules and regulations. Since long Gujarat is the only state that has reserved the manufacturing of sugar for the Co-operative units only.

Gandevi sugar has a proud privilege to be the member of the “ The National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Ltd., New Delhi and all its projects are successfully completed under their able consultancy and guidance.