The Dark Reality of Sugar Production in Kolhapur: Ethics vs. Exploitation

The Hidden Truth Behind Sugar Production in Kolhapur

Bags of sugar produced at the Dalmia Bharat Sugar mill in Kolhapur, a city in western India, carry a misleading promise: that they were harvested ethically, devoid of child labor, debt bondage, and any form of exploitation. However, this assurance is far from reality.

The mill proudly boasts certification from Bonsucro, an organization that sets the global standard for sustainable sugar production. Many well-known brands, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever, and General Mills, rely on the Bonsucro label to signal to consumers that their supply chains uphold “respect for human rights,” particularly in regions notorious for human rights violations, such as the area surrounding the Dalmia mill.

Yet, a thorough investigation conducted by the New York Times reveals that Bonsucro’s auditing process is fundamentally flawed, making it unlikely to uncover any serious issues. Internal documents, along with interviews with sugar mill officials, industry experts, and Bonsucro contractors, illustrate that sugar mills maintain significant control over the audit process, dictating what auditors observe and who they can interview. These inspections are often executed in a rushed manner, moving from the mill to the fields in just a few days, with the details of these audits kept confidential to shield them from public scrutiny.

Even the auditor who claimed to have assessed the Dalmia mill acknowledged that discovering violations is an exceedingly rare occurrence. “I’ve been auditing for the last two years, and I have not found any violations,” stated Swapnali Hirve, a contract auditor for Bonsucro, who also examined a mill owned by NSL Sugars, another facility located in Maharashtra.

However, the reality for women laborers who harvest sugar cane for these mills is starkly different. Many of them endure horrific working conditions. In various interviews, these women revealed that they were often coerced into early marriages so that they could work alongside their husbands in the fields. They described being trapped in cycles of debt imposed by sugar mill contractors. Alarmingly, some women, like countless others in this region, reported feeling pressured to undergo unnecessary hysterectomies to alleviate common health issues such as painful menstrual periods, enabling them to continue laboring in the fields without interruption.