The Uttar Pradesh state government announced on Wednesday that it has ensured payment of 90% of the total cane dues, amounting to Rs 30,831.81 crore, for the 2025-26 crushing season. A government spokesperson confirmed that payments from some sugar mills are still pending, and instructions have been issued to clear them as soon as possible.
Operational Sugar Mills and Production
In the 2025-26 crushing season, a total of 121 sugar mills are operational in Uttar Pradesh. This includes three mills under the UP State Sugar Corporation, 23 mills under the UP Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation, and 95 private sugar mills. Together, these mills crushed 877.96 lakh tonnes of sugarcane and produced 89.68 lakh tonnes of sugar.
Sugar Recovery Rates
Despite having fewer mills than Maharashtra (210 mills), Uttar Pradesh achieved an average sugar recovery rate of 10.21%. In comparison, Maharashtra's recovery stands at 9.49%, while Karnataka's is 8.19%.
Increase in Sugarcane Prices
The state government increased sugarcane prices by Rs 30 per quintal in the 2025-26 season. This brought the State Advisory Price to Rs 400 per quintal for early varieties and Rs 390 per quintal for general varieties. Due to this increase, sugarcane farmers received an additional payment of approximately Rs 3,000 crore.
This marks the fourth time sugarcane prices have been raised during the tenure of the Yogi Adityanath government. Timely payments have provided economic strength to 48 lakh sugarcane farmer families in the state. The Sugarcane Development Department is playing a crucial role in helping the state's economy towards the one trillion dollar target.
Total Payments Since 2017
The spokesperson stated that the state government has ensured a total payment of Rs 3,22,722 crore since 2017, when the Yogi Adityanath government came to power.
Smart Ganna Kisan System
Under the 'Smart Ganna Kisan' system, the process of sugarcane area registration, survey, calendaring, and slip issuance has been made completely online. Farmers now receive their sugarcane slips directly on their mobile phones, while payments are transferred to their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
