Analysing Cost Structures in Cooperative Sugar Mills with Varying Product Lines: Evidence from Exploratory Factor Analysis

Authors

  • Aparna Das Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Sree Narayana College for Women, Kollam, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16255964

Keywords:

cooperative sugar mills, ethanol production, factor analysis, maharashtra, operational performance, distillery efficiency, cost structure

Abstract

This study applies Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify the multi-dimensional cost factors influencing the performance of cooperative sugar mills in Maharashtra, operating under varying product configurations — including sugar-only production, sugar with rectified spirit, and sugar with both rectified spirit and fuel ethanol. Drawing on structured secondary data across a ten-year period, the analysis extracts key components related to cost efficiency, capacity utilisation, production orientation, and distillery performance. These components together explain over 73 percent of the total variance in cost, offering a clearer understanding of the complex cost structures in these mills. The findings provide insights for operational restructuring and policy interventions aimed at enhancing the economic efficiency of the sector.

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References

Das, A. (2018). Biofuel production: A study with reference to fuel ethanol production in sugar mills of Maharashtra. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India.

Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2010), Multivariate data analysis. (7th ed.). New Delhi: Pearson Education.

Harman, H.H. (1976). Modern factor analysis. (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Kaiser, H.F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36.

Vasantdada Sugar Institute. (2007–2016), Annual reports of cooperative sugar mills. Pune.

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Published

28-07-2025

How to Cite

Das, A. (2025). Analysing Cost Structures in Cooperative Sugar Mills with Varying Product Lines: Evidence from Exploratory Factor Analysis. Social Science Journal for Advanced Research, 5(4), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16255964

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 4 (2025): July Issue

Section

Articles

ARK

https://n2t.net/ark:/62934/ssjar.v5i4.261

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Aparna Das

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Research Articles in 'Social Science Journal for Advanced Research' are Open Access articles published under the Creative Commons CC BY License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This license allows you to share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.