Sugar mills pay Rs 8,126 cr to farmers in first 70 days of season

Sugar mills have paid Rs 8,126 crore to sugarcane farmers in the first 70 days of the ongoing 2024-25 sugar season, Food Minister Pralhad Joshi told Parliament on Wednesday.

As of December 13, the total cane price payable stood at Rs 11,141 crore, Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Pending payments of Rs 3,015 crore remain, with Karnataka accounting for the maximum outstanding dues of Rs 1,405 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The sugar season in India runs from October to September.

Joshi attributed the reduction in sugarcane arrears to ongoing policy interventions.

In the previous 2023-24 season, out of total cane dues of Rs 1,11,674 crore, approximately Rs 1,10,399 crore has been paid, leaving only Rs 1,275 crore outstanding as of December 13 - effectively clearing 99 per cent of the dues.