Haryana farmers get ₹5,000 per acre for 4-feet sugarcane planting, along with improved seeds, tissue culture labs and mechanised harvesting support.
By Akansha Trivedi
Farmers planting sugarcane 4 feet apart will get ₹5,000 per acre.
Incentive increased from the earlier ₹3,000 per acre.
Four tissue culture labs will provide improved sugarcane planting material.
Kaithal Sugar Mill will pilot machine-based sugarcane harvesting.
Haryana has 10 cooperative sugar mills with 30,650 TCD capacity.
Haryana sugarcane farmers have received a major boost from the state government. Under the Sugarcane Technology Mission, farmers who plant sugarcane using the wide-row system at a spacing of 4 feet will now receive an incentive of ₹5,000 per acre. The incentive was earlier ₹3,000 per acre.
The initiative, announced following a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, aims to increase sugarcane productivity, improve sugar recovery, reduce cultivation costs and raise farmers' income. The government is also focusing on modern technology, improved seed varieties and stronger cooperative sugar mills.
The Haryana government has increased the incentive under the Sugarcane Technology Mission to encourage farmers to adopt the broad-row system. Farmers planting sugarcane at a distance of 4 feet will receive ₹5,000 per acre.
The government expects wider row spacing and modern cultivation practices to help improve crop production and sugar recovery. Officials have also been directed to publicize the scheme widely so that more farmers can benefit.
Farmers can contact their respective agriculture department or cooperative sugar mill for information about eligibility and the application process.
The government is also working to ensure that farmers get access to new and high-yielding sugarcane varieties. Officials have been instructed not to unnecessarily delay the adoption of improved varieties approved by the Government of India in Haryana.
If the availability of seeds of an improved variety is low within the state, efforts will be made to source them from other states. This is expected to improve access to quality planting material and support higher sugarcane productivity and recovery.
Haryana will establish four tissue culture laboratories to provide farmers with high-quality sugarcane planting material. These facilities will be located at:
Rohtak Sugar Mill
Meham Sugar Mill
Panipat Sugar Mill
Palwal-Karnal Sugar Mill
Tissue culture technology is expected to help provide quality sugarcane seed and support better crop productivity and sugar recovery.
To improve communication between farmers and sugar mills, suggestion boxes will be installed at the sugarcane weighing centres of all cooperative sugar mills.
Farmers will be able to submit their problems and suggestions directly through these boxes. Officials have been asked to inspect them regularly and take timely action on complaints.
Managing directors of sugar mills have also been directed to hold meetings with farmers once every four months to improve coordination and address their concerns.
Labour shortages during sugarcane harvesting remain a challenge for farmers. To address this issue, the government has directed the launch of a pilot project for sugarcane harvesting machines at Kaithal Sugar Mill.
Under the project, machines will harvest sugarcane from farmers' fields and transport the crop directly to the sugar mill. If the pilot project proves successful, the system may be introduced at other cooperative sugar mills across Haryana.
Haryana has 10 cooperative sugar mills located in Panipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Shahabad, Gohana, Sonipat, Jind, Palwal, Meham and Kaithal.
Together, these mills have a total sugarcane crushing capacity of 30,650 TCD (tonnes crushed per day). Besides sugar, the mills also produce electricity and ethanol.
To improve efficiency and reduce production costs, the Chief Minister has directed officials to ensure timely maintenance of machinery and adequate availability of spare parts. Instructions have also been issued to reduce unnecessary mill stoppages and introduce store management software across all cooperative sugar mills.
The government is also working to create additional income sources for cooperative sugar mills.
At the Rohtak Sugar Mill, efforts are underway to improve the quality of sugar produced. Once the required quality standards are achieved, the sugar could potentially be supplied to pharmaceutical companies for making syrups, opening up an additional market for the mill.
Officials have also been asked to examine the possibility of continuing electricity generation during the off-season and explore ways to increase sugar mill capacity.
Another proposal discussed was selling jaggery produced by the mills to consumers through Harit and Vita stores, which could create another revenue stream.
The increased ₹5,000-per-acre incentive is the key benefit for farmers adopting the 4-feet wide-row planting system. Along with this financial support, the government is introducing improved sugarcane varieties, tissue culture technology and mechanised harvesting to make cultivation more productive and reduce operational challenges.
These measures are part of Haryana's broader effort to increase farmers' income, improve sugarcane recovery and strengthen the financial performance of cooperative sugar mills.
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Haryana's decision to increase the wide-row sugarcane planting incentive to ₹5,000 per acre is aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt modern cultivation practices. Along with the incentive, improved varieties, four tissue culture labs and mechanised harvesting initiatives are expected to support productivity and reduce farming challenges. The government is also strengthening cooperative sugar mills through better maintenance, technology, additional revenue opportunities and closer communication with farmers.
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