Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced a historic ₹30 per quintal hike in sugarcane prices for the 2025–26 crushing season, bringing cheer to lakhs of cane farmers across Uttar Pradesh. The CM said his government has empowered farmers by ensuring direct payments into bank accounts, eliminating middlemen and promoting transparency.
“Without the hardworking ‘annadata,’ the nation’s progress is incomplete,” Yogi said while interacting with farmers at his residence. He noted that the government’s reforms — including new investments, revival of sugar mills, and adoption of technology — have transformed cane farming into the backbone of Uttar Pradesh’s rural economy.
Highlighting the achievements of the past eight years, the CM said: “Between 2017 and 2025, a record ₹2.90 lakh crore has been paid to farmers — ₹1.42 lakh crore more than the total payments made between 2007 and 2017.”
Yogi recalled that before 2017, sugar mills were shutting down or being sold. “We stopped that decline. Today, 122 mills are operational, with four new ones established, six revived, and 42 expanded,” he said. The sector now supports 10 lakh families directly and millions more indirectly.
He also cited the success of the Smart Ganna Kisan system, which has digitized the cane slip process and ended the dominance of intermediaries. “Now, the farmer gets what he deserves — directly and on time,” he added.
Sugarcane Development and Industries Minister Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan hailed the decision as “far-sighted and farmer-friendly,” noting that the terms ‘cane mafia’ and ‘under-weighing’ have disappeared from the state’s agricultural vocabulary.
Uttar Pradesh, once plagued by delays and distress, has now emerged as India’s leading producer of sugar, cane, and ethanol, with the Yogi government turning farmers into key stakeholders in the state’s economic resurgence.
