LUCKNOW: The UP government announced a hike of Rs 30 per quintal in the sugarcane price for the 2025–26 crushing season.
The new rates have been fixed at Rs 400 per quintal for early varieties and Rs 390 per quintal for normal varieties, providing an additional benefit of around Rs 3,000 crore to sugarcane farmers.
According to Uttar Pradesh’s Minister for Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, it is the fourth sugarcane price hike under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s tenure—an initiative aimed at strengthening farmers’ incomes and energising the rural economy.
The minister said that the government was committed to honouring the hard work of farmers.
“Sugarcane farmers are the backbone of Uttar Pradesh’s economy. It is our firm commitment to ensure they receive fair and timely payment for their produce,” he stated.
Highlighting the government’s record, Chaudhary noted that the Yogi administration had paid Rs 2,90,225 crore to sugarcane farmers so far—Rs 1,42,879 crore more than Rs 1,47,346 crore disbursed during the SP and BSP regimes between 2007 and 2017.
The decision, he said, reflected the government’s unwavering resolve to empower farmers and drive growth in the state’s rural landscape.
Chaudhary added that Uttar Pradesh currently had 122 operational sugar mills, ranking second in the country.
“While 21 mills were sold off at throwaway prices during previous regimes, the Yogi government attracted Rs 12,000 crore in fresh investments in the sugar industry. Over the past eight years, four new sugar mills have been established, six closed mills have been revived, and 42 have expanded their crushing capacity, equivalent to adding eight new large mills in terms of capacity. In addition, CBG plants have been set up in two sugar mills, promoting the production of alternative energy within the sector."
Under the government’s innovative “Smart Sugarcane Farmer” system, all processes related to sugarcane cultivation, including acreage registration, calendaring, and slip issuance, have been fully digitised.
Farmers now receive their sugarcane slips directly on their mobile phones, and payments are transferred straight to their bank accounts through DBT. This initiative, recognised by the Government of India as a ‘model system’, has completely eliminated middlemen from the process.
Uttar Pradesh has also achieved remarkable growth in ethanol production.
The Minister stated, "Due to sustained efforts, ethanol production in the state has risen from 410 million litres to 1,820 million litres, while the number of distilleries has increased from 61 to 97. Similarly, sugarcane acreage has expanded from 2 million hectares to 2.951 million hectares, making Uttar Pradesh the top state in the country for both sugarcane cultivation and ethanol output."
