2 months ago
1
Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, headed by elder DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, has flagged astir 32 times increase, compared to past fiscal year, successful the sugarcane arrears owed to farmers crossed the country. Farmers’ organisations person demanded Union Government’s involution to assertion their dues arsenic the adjacent harvest play is astir to statesman now.
A study connected the Demands for Grants of the Union Department of Food and Public Distribution, tabled successful some the Houses during the ongoing fund session, noted that the Department intimated the sheet that that full magnitude of cane terms arrears successful the state arsenic connected February 16, 2026 is ₹16,087 crore. The sugarcane arrears connected the aforesaid play successful 2024-25 was ₹497 crore and successful 2023-24, it was ₹34 crore. In 2025-26, the magnitude payable to farmers was ₹79,818 crore, successful which ₹63,731 crore has been paid and the remaining magnitude to beryllium paid is ₹16,087 crore (79.85%), according to the accusation provided successful the report.
In Uttar Pradesh, the arrears roseate from ₹24 crore successful 2023-24 to ₹321 crore successful 2024-25 and ₹3,287 crore successful 2025-26, an summation of much than 10 times. In Maharashtra, it was ₹2 crore, ₹123 crore and ₹4,252 crore successful 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 respectively. Karnataka has the highest arrears. In the past 2 fiscal years, the arrears was zero and connected February 16 this year, the arrears is ₹4,956 crore. In Gujarat, the arrears accrued from ₹5 crore to ₹1,402 crore. In Tamil Nadu, the magnitude owed to farmers is ₹203 crore and successful Bihar it is ₹212 crore. Haryana owes ₹373 crore and Punjab’s arrears is ₹535 crore. Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Telangana beryllium ₹366 crore, ₹235 crore and ₹152 crore to sugarcane farmers.
Farmers’ organisations person questioned the hold successful payment. Senior person of All India Kisan Sabha from Maharashtra Ajit Nawale told The Hindu that the crushed fixed to the farmers was that the sweetener prices are down arsenic exports person decreased making the sweetener mills incapable to wage the just remuneration terms to sugarcane to farmers. “We were told that the cooperative sweetener mills successful Maharashtra person sought the government’s help. The payments owed to farmers are stuck successful this. We person been protesting demanding government’s involution to resoluteness the situation of farmers,” Mr. Nawale said.
Spokesman of Bharatiya Kisan Union successful Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh and a young sugarcane husbandman Shubham Malik said the crushed world is overmuch worse. “The existent statistic of sugarcane arrears indispensable beryllium bigger than what was informed by the government. Farmers had to look 2 problems-- one, the harvest was atrocious owed to diseases and accumulation came down. Secondly, we did not get the prices for the sugarcane. Farmers are already feeling insecure owed to the woody announced with the United States. If the authorities does not assistance america to person the wealth owed to us, things are going to beryllium precise difficult,” Mr. Malik said.
The sheet noted that successful each sweetener season, accumulation of sweetener is astir 300-330 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) arsenic against the home depletion of 270-290 LMT which results successful immense transportation implicit banal of sweetener with mills. “This excess banal leads to blockage of funds & affects the liquidity of sweetener mills resulting successful delayed outgo of cane dues & yet resulting successful accumulation of cane arrears,” the study said.
The Government told the sheet that to code the occupation of excess sweetener and simplification of cane arrears to the farmers, it is encouraging sweetener mills to divert excess sugarcane to ethanol. “Further, minimum enactment terms of sweetener was besides revised from ₹ 29/- per Kg to ₹ 31/- Per Kg along-with the imposition of stockholding limits connected the sweetener mills,” the sheet noted.
