The Haryana government has raised the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane by Rs 15 to Rs 430 a quintal for the 2026-27 crushing season, and announced a further Rs 20 rise to Rs 450 a quintal for 2027-28: Rs 35 over two seasons.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced the prices on Thursday. He said the two-year increase would help farmers cope with rising costs, and that setting next season's price in advance would let them plan.
Farmer organisations had asked for at least Rs 500 a quintal, pointing to higher cultivation costs, higher sugar prices and the growing value of cane products such as ethanol. They called the increase inadequate.
Rakesh Bains, spokesperson of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni), said Rs 15 a quintal, or 15 paise a kilogram, would not cover the rise in costs; his union had demanded Rs 600 a quintal. Ratan Mann, Haryana president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait), said sugar was selling at Rs 65-70 a kilogram while the cane price had gone up by just 15 paise a kilogram, and asked the government to reconsider.
Farmer representatives who met the Chief Minister recently had raised the higher spending on diesel, labour and fertiliser that has pushed up the cost of growing cane.
The decision comes as a cane shortage has cut India's sugar output. To hold down sugar prices, the central government has had to consider importing raw sugar and limiting the use of cane juice and syrup for ethanol, which makes persuading farmers to plant more cane a challenge for the government and the mills. The report is by Ajeet Singh for Rural Voice.
Photo: Honza Soukup / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Rural Voice
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