Sugar Ethanol Bioenergy Int- The 23 cooperative sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh are close to clearing all cane dues for the 2024–25 crushing season. According to data from the cane department, mills have paid Rs. 2,724.09 crore out of a total Rs. 2,730.59 crore, achieving 99.76% of the total amount due to farmers.
The Azamgarh-based Sathiaon sugar mill is the only one which is defaulting on a payment of around Rs 6.5 crore. Sathiaon was required to pay Rs. 129.56 crore in total but has cleared Rs. 123.07 crore so far.Regional figures show that 12 mills in central UP have made the highest contribution with payments worth Rs. 1,230 crore. In western UP, six mills paid nearly Rs. 1,120 crore, while five mills in eastern UP settled Rs. 373.56 crore out of their total dues of around ₹380 crore, officials said the remaining arrears, though small in percentage, need quick resolution to avoid dissatisfaction among cane growers. Timely payments are vital for farmers’ cash flow ahead of the next crushing season, which begins next month.
At a recent review meeting, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed that a mill’s cane procurement area should be decided based on its record of payments. The government has also highlighted that since 2017, it has facilitated cane payments worth Rs. 2.86 lakh crore, about Rs. 73,000 crore more than what was paid between 1995 and 2017.
