The Uttar Pradesh government has reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare of sugarcane farmers, ensuring timely payments and strengthening the framework supporting the sector. Wherever necessary, the state has proactively enhanced arrangements to benefit farmers and maintain transparency in the industry, the CMO office said following the recent increase in sugarcane prices.
The state has also witnessed an increase in ethanol distilleries from 61 in 2017 to 97 in 2025, as per a CMO office post on X.
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 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 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 Rs. 3,000 crore directly to farmers, underscoring the government’s commitment to their prosperity, according to X handle of the CMO office.
The X post of the CMO office further stated that under the effective guidance of the UP Government, the sugar industry has attracted a substantial investment of Rs 12,000 crore. This has led to the establishment of four new sugar mills and the revival of six previously closed mills. Additionally, 42 sugar mills have expanded their capacity, equivalent to roughly eight large new sugar mills, while two mills have installed compressed biogas (CBG) plants.
“Uttar Pradesh has now emerged as the leading state in ethanol production in India. The number of ethanol distilleries has increased from 61 in 2017 to 97 in 2025. Thanks to the state government’s focused initiatives, sugarcane cultivation has expanded by nearly 9 lakh hectares, taking the total area under cultivation from 20 lakh hectares in 2016-17 to 29.51 lakh hectares in 2025,” CMO office further stated.
In terms of sugarcane cultivation area, Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the country, while it holds the second position for the number of operational sugar mills. The state government has also ensured record timely payments to farmers. Between 2007 and 2017, Rs. 1,47,346 crore was paid to farmers, whereas from 2017 to date, around Rs. 2,90,225 crore has been disbursed, an increase of around Rs. 1,42,879 crore.
