UP govt decides not to raise cane price; SAP stays at Rs 315 a quintal

Sugar companies have for several years been asking that the government-set price for cane be linked to the retail sugar price

Belying expectations of a token hike in the sale price (set by the state) of sugarcane in an election year, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to keep the rate unchanged for this 2018-19 season (which officially began October 1 and runs till end-September 2019).

The ‘State Advised Price’ (SAP) for the common variety of cane in UP, the country’s top sugar producer, stays Rs 315 a quintal (qtl). Farmer groups in UP had demanded Rs 400 a qtl, pointing to rises in input costs, such as of diesel, labourers’ wages, fertiliser and so on.

However, private sugar mills (94