Meet Bakshi Ram, the man behind Uttar Pradesh's brimming sugar mills

From occupying 3% of all sugarcane area in the state in 2012-13, the variety that now covers 52%

India’s sugar sector is staring at an unprecedented glut, with production topping 31 million tonnes.

Sugar is suddenly tasting bitter as mills are finding it difficult to pay sugarcane farmers in the politically sensitive state of Uttar Pradesh. 

At the heart of the surplus lies a new variety of sugarcane called CO-0238, which occupies over 50 per cent of the cane area in northern India now (2017-18 crop year), rising from a mere 3 per cent in 2012-13, when it was first recommended by the UP government.  

But, the man behind the wonder variety, Dr Bakshi Ram, isn’t willing to