Sugar Mills Command Area Based on Cane Payments: Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow, May 5 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed that the command area allocated to sugar mills for cane procurement should be determined based on their record of payments to farmers.

According to an official statement issued here, the Chief Minister gave these instructions during a review meeting of the Department of Sugar Industry and Cane Development. The meeting featured presentations on cane payment status, productivity, infrastructure, employment, and future plans.

Yogi emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring timely payments to sugarcane farmers. He directed strict action against mills that delay or neglect payments.

The Chief Minister further stressed the need to provide farmers with high-quality seed varieties on time to improve sugarcane yield. He said Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), sugar mills, and cane societies must work together to achieve this.

Mill representatives, committee officials, and KVK officers should visit the fields regularly, monitor crop conditions, and maintain a consistent dialogue with farmers. Ministers should also participate in farmer workshops, he added.

Yogi also highlighted the need to further strengthen cane societies.

He proposed increasing the operational days of mills from the current 142 to 155 and instructed a detailed review of cooperative and federation-run sugar mills. As per his directions, these mills will be assessed not only on their production capacity but also on the qualifications of the personnel working there.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister reviewed the updated mill-wise status of cane payments.

Sharing details on sugarcane cultivation, officials said that the area under cane has increased from 20.54 lakh hectares in 2016-17 to 29.51 lakh hectares in 2024-25. In the same period, productivity has also risen from 72.38 tonnes per hectare to 84.10 tonnes per hectare.

Yogi stated that with well-planned efforts, there is strong potential to double both sugarcane production and productivity in Uttar Pradesh.