Regional Head - Cane
DCM Shriram Sugar
- Experience
- 12–20 years
- Location
- On-site
- Job type
- Full time permanent
- Cane procurement planning
- Cane marketing
- Cane development
- Cane centre operations
- Weighment processes
- Cane quality control
- Stock clearing
- Transit loss control
About the role
Ensure timely, compliant and quality-focused cane supply to the factory / sugar mill. Supervise cane centre readiness and operations for smooth crushing season. Drive cane development, farmer education and cost optimisation initiatives.
What you’ll do
- Prepare cane procurement plans and schedules for the assigned region
- Review daily cane supply, stock position and centre-wise performance to identify gaps, risks and corrective actions
- Reconcile progress of Zonal Incharges and submit periodic updates to management
- Supervise identification, readiness and operational set-up of cane centres before and during the crushing season
- Ensure required structure and infrastructure are available at cane centres
- Monitor performance of all cane centres and ensure periodic clearing
- Monitor cane procurement from identified cane centres by reviewing daily supply, stock and dispatch positions
What we’re looking for
Must have
- Cane procurement planning
- Cane marketing
- Cane development
- Cane centre operations
- Weighment processes
- Cane quality control
What makes this role challenging
- Managing a very large, high-volume operation (12-20 years of experience expected)
- Coordinating multiple stakeholders: farmers, transporters, centres and mill teams
- Handling statutory compliance and government liaisoning (Cane Purchase Act)
- Seasonal and high-pressure nature of crushing operations
- Managing farmer grievances and diverse field-level issues
- Cost optimisation and logistics efficiency in a time-sensitive schedule
What success looks like
- First 30 days
- Ramped up on the region's cane supply network, understood current centre operations and crushing season plan, and built relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
- By 90 days
- Owned the cane procurement plan for the region, met quality and supply targets, and improved centre performance or logistics efficiency.
- First year
- Delivered a successful crushing season with consistent supply, zero major compliance issues, and measurable improvements in farmer relationships and operational cost.
About DCM Shriram Sugar
DCM Shriram Sugar is the Sugar & Distillery division of DCM Shriram Ltd., a diversified Indian conglomerate tracing back to 1889. It is India's leading integrated sugar producer, operating four fully-integrated manufacturing units in the Hardoi and Lakhimpur Kheri districts of Uttar Pradesh, producing ~0.65 million tonnes of sugar and ~180 million litres of ethanol annually, plus green power via bagasse co-generation. The business has expanded beyond sugar into bio-energy (ethanol, CBG) and partners with over 2,50,000 sugarcane growers.
Sugar & Ethanol / Agri-business / Food & Beverage Manufacturing · Public · DCM Shriram Sugar ~116 employees (LinkedIn); parent DCM Shriram Ltd. ~6,255 tot…
Regional Head - Cane
Organisational Context
Job Holder Name
Department
Cane
SBU
Sugar
Reporting to
Unit Head / Head - Cane
Job Reference Number
Location
Unit / Region
Qualification
B.Sc. / M.Sc. Agriculture
Experience
12 to 20 years
Industry Exposure
Sugar industry; cane marketing and cane development
Role Type
Regional Operations / Cane Procurement
Scope
Supervision
Direct: Zonal Incharges / Cane Centre Staff, as per approved structure
Indirect
Cane centre teams, transporters and seasonal field support, as applicable
Job Content
Role Objective
To plan, schedule, monitor and control cane procurement for the assigned region to ensure timely, compliant and quality-focused cane supply to the factory / sugar mill.
To supervise cane centre readiness, infrastructure, logistics, statutory compliance and farmer-facing operational processes for smooth crushing season operations.
To support cane development initiatives, farmer education, cane protection campaigns and cost optimisation projects in alignment with business requirements.
Detailed duties and responsibilities
Area
Detailed duties and responsibilities
Strategic / Planning
Prepare cane procurement plans and schedules for the assigned region in line with crushing requirements, cane availability and centre-wise supply potential.
Review daily cane supply, stock position and centre-wise performance to identify gaps, risks and corrective actions.
Reconcile progress of Zonal Incharges and submit periodic updates, exceptions and action points to management.
Cane Centre Management
Supervise identification, readiness and operational set-up of cane centres before and during the crushing season.
Ensure required structure and infrastructure are available at cane centres, including equipment, lighting, lanes, weigh bridges and other operational facilities.
Monitor performance of all cane centres and ensure periodic clearing of centres to avoid operational delays and farmer grievances.
Procurement Monitoring
Monitor cane procurement from identified cane centres by reviewing daily supply, stock and dispatch positions.
Coordinate with field teams to ensure uninterrupted cane inflow to the factory / sugar mill as per plan.
Track centre-wise deviations and ensure timely escalation and resolution of procurement bottlenecks.
Quality Assurance
Ensure optimum cane quality by monitoring cane deterioration / driage in transit, stock ageing and timely stock clearing.
Coordinate with cane centre teams to maintain quality discipline during procurement, loading, transportation and receipt at mill.
Support field-level actions that reduce quality loss, delays and avoidable operational wastage.
Logistics Management
Supervise cane transportation from cane centres to factory / sugar mill through planned deployment and monitoring of transport arrangements.
Coordinate with transporters, centre teams and factory teams for smooth movement, route discipline and timely cane delivery.
Review logistics constraints and implement corrective actions to improve supply reliability and cost efficiency.
Statutory Compliance & Liaisoning
Liaise with relevant state government agencies and officials, including Weighment and Measurement Inspector and Cane Inspector, for statutory compliance requirements.
Check compliance parameters such as cane weighment, overloading and related requirements under the Cane Purchase Act and applicable statutory provisions.
Maintain required records, documentation and coordination to support audit readiness and statutory inspections.
Cane Development Support
Participate in cane development activities, cane protection campaigns and farmer education initiatives.
Support projects related to cost optimisation, yield improvement and operational effectiveness in cane operations.
Provide field inputs on farmer issues, cane availability, centre constraints and development priorities.
People responsibility
Review performance of Zonal Incharges, cane centre staff and field teams against agreed operational expectations.
Provide guidance to cane centre staff in handling operational problems and grievances, including thefts, farmer demands and periodic centre clearing issues.
Build operating discipline within the regional team through regular reviews, issue tracking and timely follow-up.
Key Interactions
Internal
External
Unit Head
Head - Cane / Cane Department
Zonal Incharges and cane centre teams
Factory / mill operations team
Accounts / weighment / compliance teams
Commercial / administration teams
Farmers and farmer representatives
Transporters and contractors
Weighment and Measurement Inspector
Cane Inspector
State government agencies and statutory authorities
Local administration, as required
Technical skills and Knowledge
(Special technical skills & knowledge needed for satisfactory performance of the job)
Technical / Functional Knowledge
Behavioural / Managerial skills
Cane procurement planning and scheduling
Cane marketing and cane development practices
Cane centre operations and weighment processes
Cane quality, stock clearing and transit loss controls
Sugar mill cane supply logistics
Cane Purchase Act and related statutory compliance
Government liaisoning and statutory documentation
Field team supervision and review discipline
Farmer grievance handling and stakeholder management
Problem solving in high-volume seasonal operations
Coordination with transporters, centre teams and factory operations
Data review, reconciliation and management reporting