Pune: The process to grant subsidies for another 100 sugarcane harvesters in the state has been accelerated, according to sources in the Sugar Commissionerate. So far, subsidies have been provided for 326 harvesters, Agrowon reported.
The government provides a subsidy of up to ₹35 lakh for each harvester under the Centre’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. After the state announced the scheme, it was widely expected that purchases of the machines would rise sharply. However, the high investment of over ₹1 crore per machine and the requirement to obtain bank loans discouraged many buyers, resulting in lower-than-anticipated sales.
According to official sources, the state government approved the scheme on May 26, 2025, with a budget of ₹232 crore, and administrative clearance from the Cooperation Department was received on July 16.
Nearly 100 proposals for harvesters are currently under review, and the Sugar Commissionerate aims to complete the scrutiny within the next fortnight. The process includes assessing subsidy calculations, verifying RTO registrations, and checking bank account details. Once the review is finished, recommendations for subsidy release will be forwarded to the Agriculture Department’s accounts division, sources said.
