Advance Variety to Fetch ₹400, Common Variety ₹390 per Quintal; ₹3,000 Crore Additional Benefit to Farmers
Lucknow: In a major pro-farmer decision, the Yogi Adityanath government has announced a ₹30 per quintal increase in sugarcane prices for the 2025–26 crushing season. The price of the early (advance) variety has been fixed at ₹400 per quintal, while the common variety will fetch ₹390 per quintal. This landmark move is expected to provide an additional ₹3,000 crore to sugarcane farmers across Uttar Pradesh.
The announcement marks the fourth sugarcane price hike under the Yogi administration, reflecting the government’s sustained commitment to improving farmers’ income and strengthening the rural economy.
Addressing the media, Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said, “Honouring the hard work of farmers is our top priority. Sugarcane growers are not just producers; they are the strong pillars of the state’s economy. The government is determined to ensure that every farmer receives the fair value of their produce on time.”
The minister highlighted that so far, sugarcane farmers have been paid a record ₹2,90,225 crore during the Yogi government’s tenure — a stark contrast to the ₹1,47,346 crore paid during the combined tenure of previous SP and BSP governments (2007–2017). “In just eight and a half years, this government has made ₹1,42,879 crore more payments than its predecessors, setting a new record in farmer welfare,” he added.
Chaudhary noted that Uttar Pradesh currently has 122 operational sugar mills, making it the second-largest sugar-producing state in the country. Under previous governments, 21 mills were sold at throwaway prices, but under the Yogi administration, ₹12,000 crore of new investment has been attracted into the sector. In the past eight years, four new mills have been established, six defunct mills revived, and 42 mills expanded, effectively adding the capacity of eight new large sugar factories. Additionally, two mills have been equipped with Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants, giving a push to alternative energy production.
Under the innovative ‘Smart Sugarcane Farmer System’, processes such as cane area registration, calendar scheduling, and slip issuance have been fully digitized. Farmers now receive their cane slips directly on their mobile phones, and payments are transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). This digital transformation, recognized by the Government of India as a ‘Model System’, has eliminated middlemen from the process entirely.
Uttar Pradesh has also achieved remarkable progress in ethanol production, with output surging from 41 crore litres to 182 crore litres, and the number of distilleries increasing from 61 to 97. The sugarcane cultivation area has expanded significantly — from 20 lakh hectares to 29.51 lakh hectares — making Uttar Pradesh the leading sugarcane-producing state in India.
With this latest price hike and continued modernization, the Yogi government has once again reaffirmed its commitment to empowering farmers, energizing the rural economy, and establishing Uttar Pradesh as a model of agricultural prosperity.
