New Delhi, Oct. 14 -- The government's effort to bring India's traditional khandsari, or unrefined sugar, industry under formal regulation has seen a slow start, with only 11 of the 66 large units having registered on the National Single Window System (NSWS) portal so far, two people aware of the matter said. Registrations are likely to pick up by the start of the sugarcane crushing season next month, industry people said.

Khandsari units, small, cottage-style factories that produce unrefined sugar from cane, were brought under the Sugar (Control) Order, 2025 in May. Units with a crushing capacity exceeding 500 tonnes per day (TCD) were brought under regulatory oversight.

The move, aimed at ensuring fair prices for farmers and curbing u...