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Govt forms panel to address sugarcane farmers woes
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Friday, 16 October, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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The Government of India has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, former Member of NITI Aayog, to examine key issues raised by sugarcane farmers and recommend measures to address their concerns, including cane prices, sugar pricing and recovery assessment practices.
The committee was formed following a meeting between representatives of sugarcane farmers from Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Union Ministers for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
A key mandate of the committee is to examine the demand for higher remunerative returns to sugarcane farmers, considering cultivation costs and other relevant factors. It will also review the demand for revising the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar in view of production costs, market realisations and the financial viability of sugar mills.
The panel will assess existing systems for testing and reporting sugar recovery, along with measures to ensure transparent verification. It will also review sugarcane weighment practices at mills, including the adequacy of calibration, inspection and verification mechanisms.
In addition, the committee will examine prevailing practices for deductions from the weight of mechanically harvested sugarcane and assess the actual losses, if any, resulting from mechanised harvesting. It will evaluate the financial implications of these practices on the cane prices paid to farmers and consider other related issues, wherever necessary.
The committee will consult a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers’ representatives, sugar mill associations, state governments, experts and other relevant organisations. It will submit a report containing its findings and specific recommendations as early as possible for consideration by the competent authority.
Prof. Ramesh Chand, an agricultural economist and public policy expert, served as a Member of NITI Aayog from 2015 to 2026. He has also served as Director of the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research and as a Member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. His areas of expertise include agricultural development, farmers’ welfare, food security, agricultural markets and pricing policy.
The committee comprises the Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Joint Secretary (Sugar), Department of Food and Public Distribution; and Joint Secretary (Legal Metrology), Department of Consumer Affairs, as members.
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