Lucknow: More than 50 lakh sugarcane farming families in Uttar Pradesh are expected to benefit from a long-term plan introduced by the Yogi Adityanath-led government to strengthen the sugarcane sector, reports The Statesman.
During its second term, the state government prepared a five-year strategy to transform the sugar industry. The plan includes a range of efforts such as modernizing sugar mills, setting up new distillery units, producing sulphur-free sugar, increasing sugarcane yield, expanding the cultivation area, and improving the sugar recovery rate. These changes are being introduced step by step.
Before Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister, sugarcane farmers often faced long delays in receiving payments, especially in western Uttar Pradesh, where the issue also affected politics. Since the beginning of his first term in 2017, CM Yogi made it a priority to resolve the payment delays. The government introduced a more efficient and transparent system, which helped farmers receive payments on time.
As a result, sugarcane farmers were paid ₹2,85,994 crore—an increase of ₹72,474 crore compared to the ₹2,13,520 crore paid between 1995 and 2017. For the year 2024–25, 83.8% of the total payment target of ₹34,466.22 crore has already been completed.
Thanks to faster payments and increased government support, more farmers are now growing sugarcane. Over the past eight years, the area under sugarcane cultivation has grown by nearly 44%. In 2016–17, sugarcane was grown on 20.54 lakh hectares. By 2024–25, this increased to 29.51 lakh hectares. Productivity has also gone up—from 72.38 tonnes per hectare to 84.10 tonnes.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that sugarcane production and productivity in the state can be doubled with smart planning, better technology, and timely reforms. To improve earnings for farmers, the government is also promoting mixed cropping based on seasons.
Sugarcane is increasingly being seen as “Green Gold of the Future” due to its role in ethanol production, which supports cleaner energy. To strengthen this, the Chief Minister has asked officials to increase the pace of ethanol blending in fuel.
To support this goal, the government is actively promoting ethanol production. In 2023–24, Uttar Pradesh produced 150.39 crore litres of ethanol from 102 distilleries. In addition, private investors are developing new facilities worth ₹6,771.87 crore to add another 105.65 crore litres of production capacity.
Since 2017, the government has prioritized farmers by restarting all closed sugar mills and expanding the capacity of over a dozen others. New mills were launched in Pipraich, Munderwa, and Ramala. In Ramala (Baghpat), the crushing capacity was increased from 2,750 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes per day, and a 27 MW co-generation power plant was also installed.
Currently, 122 sugar mills, 236 khandsari units, 8,707 traditional kolhus, 65 co-generation plants, and 44 distilleries are operational across 45 districts in the state. Together, they have a crushing capacity of 7,856 KLPD and provide direct employment to about 9.81 lakh people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CM Yogi ensured that sugarcane farmers did not suffer. Under his direction, all sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh remained open and fully functional during the lockdown—setting a national record for sugar production. In contrast, other states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab saw mill closures during the same period.
