"Historic decision by UP government," says Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary on sugarcane price hike

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 30 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday hailed the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to hike sugarcane prices by Rs 30 per quintal, calling it a "historic decision" taken in the interest of farmers under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and in coordination with the Central government.
"This is a historic decision...The Central government and state government, under the leadership of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, are taking decisions in the interests of farmers," he said while speaking to ANI.
In a landmark decision aimed at bolstering the welfare of sugarcane farmers, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday announced a historic hike of 30 per quintal in the sugarcane price for the 2025-26 crushing season.
The new rates have been fixed at ₹400 per quintal for early varieties and ₹390 per quintal for general varieties, bringing smiles to the faces of millions of farmers across the state. This price revision is set to result in an additional payment of 23,000 crore directly to farmers, underscoring the government's commitment to their prosperity, according to X handle of the CMO office.
Since assuming office in 2017, the Yogi administration has raised the sugarcane support price four times, a stark contrast to previous regimes.
The X post of the CMO office further stated that, highlighting the scale of financial support, the government has disbursed a record 2,90,225 crore to sugarcane farmers over the past eight years. In comparison, only 1,47,346 crore was paid out from 2007 to 2017 under the previous governments. This translates to an excess payment of ₹1,42,879 crore under the current dispensation in just over eight years, compared to the decade-long tenure of its predecessors.
According to the state government, the sugar industry in Uttar Pradesh has also witnessed a remarkable revival. Currently, 122 sugar mills are operational in the state, ranking second nationally.
The Yogi government has reversed the damage inflicted by earlier administrations, which saw 21 mills sold at throwaway prices. Additionally, 12,000 crore has been invested in the sector over the past eight years.
In a boost to infrastructure, four new sugar mills have been established, six closed units have been restarted, and capacity has been expanded in 42 existing mills. This has effectively increased production capacity equivalent to eight new large mills.
Additionally, compressed biogas (CBG) plants have been installed in two mills. To eliminate middlemen and ensure transparency, the 'Smart Sugarcane Farmer' system has made the entire sugarcane slip arrangement fully online. (ANI)