UP govt hikes sugarcane price for 2025-26 to ₹30/quintal ; ₹2.90 lakh cr paid to farmers in 8 yrs

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 29 (ANI): In a landmark decision aimed at bolstering the welfare of sugarcane farmers, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has 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 ₹3,000 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.
State Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said, "The Yogi government has announced an increase of Rs 30 per quintal in sugarcane prices for the 2025-26 crushing season. The new rates are Rs 400 per quintal for the early variety and Rs 390 per quintal for the normal variety. Since 2017, we have increased sugarcane prices by Rs 85 per quintal..."
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.
Payments are now credited directly to farmers' bank accounts via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
A centralised web-based "Smart Ganna Kisan" system has been developed for online management of sugarcane area mapping, surveys, calendaring, and slip issuance. The Government of India has hailed it as a "model system."
Uttar Pradesh continues to lead the country in ethanol production, with output surging from 41 crore litres to 182 crore litres. The number of distilleries has risen from 61 to 97.
The sugarcane cultivation area has expanded significantly from 20 lakh hectares to 29.51 lakh hectares, cementing the state's top position nationally. (ANI)