COMMODITY
Centre to set up high-level joint committee to address grievances of sugarcane farmers
Oct-13-2026

With an aim to address the grievances of sugarcane farmers from Maharashtra and Karnataka, the Centre has decided to set up a high-level joint committee within a week. It will comprise representatives of the Centre, the Karnataka and Maharashtra governments, farmers' organisations and sugar mills, besides subject-matter experts and scientists.

The decision came after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Food Minister Pralhad Joshi held detailed discussions at the Pusa campus with a delegation of farmers from the two major sugarcane-growing states. About 80-90 farmers from different organisations attended, along with state ministers.

With sugar mills set to begin crushing in the 2026-27 season, which started on October 1, farmers have sought a higher support price, citing rising production costs. They have also demanded that the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar be raised from Rs 31 per kg to Rs 50 per kg.

Chouhan said the discussions covered ground-level issues, including discrepancies in recovery figures reported by mills, weighing, wastage, laboratory testing and crop insurance. He said 'Exploitation of farmers, who provide food, will not be tolerated under any circumstances', and described discrepancies in recovery rates, weight deductions and concealment of actual recovery figures by mills as highly sensitive matters.

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