Uttar Pradesh govt’s comprehensive strategy to benefit over 50 lakh sugarcane farmers
Over 50 lakh sugarcane farming families in Uttar Pradesh are set to benefit from the Yogi Adityanath government’s long-term sugar sector reforms. A five-year plan includes modernizing mills, boosting ethanol production, increasing crop yield, and ensuring timely payments. Cultivation area has grown 44% in eight years. UP produced 150.39 crore litres of ethanol in 2023–24.
Over 50 lakh sugarcane farming families in Uttar Pradesh are set to benefit from the Yogi Adityanath government’s long-term strategic plan aimed at boosting the sugarcane sector.
As part of its second term, the UP government formulated a comprehensive five-year strategy to transform the sugar industry in the state.
The roadmap focuses on a wide range of initiatives, including modernisation of sugar mills, setting up of new distillery plants, production of sulphur-free sugar, increasing sugarcane yield, expanding cultivation area, and improving the sugar recovery rate. These efforts are being executed in a phased manner.
Before Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister, sugarcane farmers faced serious problems in getting their payments on time. In western Uttar Pradesh, this issue even influenced politics. From the beginning of his first term, CM Yogi focused on solving this problem. The government made the payment process faster and more transparent.
Because of this, sugarcane farmers received Rs 2,85,994 crore. This is Rs 72,474 crore more than the Rs 2,13,520 crore paid between 1995 and 2017. In 2024–25, 83.8% of the total payment target of Rs 34,466.22 crore had already been completed.
Notably, timely and transparent payments have encouraged more farmers to grow sugarcane. In the last eight years, the area under sugarcane farming has increased by about 44%. In 2016–17, sugarcane was grown on 20.54 lakh hectares. In 2024–25, it grew to 29.51 lakh hectares. Also, productivity per hectare has increased from 72.38 tonnes to 84.10 tonnes.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath believes that sugarcane production and productivity in Uttar Pradesh can be doubled through smart planning, tech-driven payment systems, and timely reforms. To enhance farm profitability, the government is also promoting seasonal mixed-cropping among farmers.
Experts are calling sugarcane the ‘Green Gold of the Future’ due to its growing role in ethanol production. With rising demand for clean energy, boosting ethanol output is key to ensuring energy security and enhancing farmers’ income. Acknowledging this, CM Yogi has directed officials to accelerate efforts to increase ethanol blending in fuel.
To support this vision, the UP government is actively promoting ethanol production.
According to government data, Uttar Pradesh produced 150.39 crore litres of ethanol in 2023–24 from 102 active distilleries. In addition, private investors are setting up facilities worth Rs 6,771.87 crore to add another 105.65 crore litres of production capacity.
From the beginning of his first term in 2017, CM Yogi made farmers a top priority. The government reopened all closed sugar mills and increased the capacity of more than one and a half dozen. New sugar mills were started in Pipraich, Munderwa, and Ramala. In Ramala (Baghpat), the crushing capacity was increased from 2,750 TCD to 5,000 TCD, along with the installation of a 27 MW co-generation plant.
Today, 122 sugar mills, 236 khandsari units, 8,707 traditional kolhus, 65 co-generation plants, and 44 distilleries are operational across 45 districts of Uttar Pradesh. These units have a combined crushing capacity of 7,856 KLPD and provide direct employment to around 9.81 lakh people.
Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, CM Yogi ensured that the interests of sugarcane farmers were protected. On his instructions, all sugar mills in the state continued to operate at full capacity despite the lockdown, setting a national record in sugar production. While states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab saw mill closures during the pandemic, not a single sugar mill in Uttar Pradesh was shut under the Yogi government’s leadership.
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Source : The Statesman
