Amid soaring sugar prices and unrest among farmers over falling yields, the central government on Wednesday constituted a high-powered committee under former NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand to examine sugarcane farmers’ demands, including higher remunerative returns, revision of the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar and concerns over deductions in the weight of mechanically harvested cane.
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.
The panel will examine demands for higher returns to sugarcane farmers, taking into account cultivation costs and other relevant factors. It will also review the demand for revising the ex-mill minimum selling price of sugar in light of production costs, market realisations and the financial viability of sugar mills.
Another key area of examination will be the mechanisms used to test and report sugar recovery, including measures to ensure transparent verification. The committee will also assess prevailing sugarcane weighment practices at mills and the adequacy of calibration, inspection and verification mechanisms.
The panel will examine deductions from the weight of mechanically harvested sugarcane and assess the extent of actual losses, if any, arising from mechanised harvesting. It will also evaluate the financial impact of existing practices on the cane prices payable to farmers.
The committee will consult stakeholders, including farmers’ representatives, sugar mill associations, state governments, experts and other organisations, as required. It will submit its findings and specific recommendations as early as possible for consideration by the competent authority.
The committee also includes the agriculture commissioner in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the joint secretary (sugar) in the Department of Food and Public Distribution, and the joint secretary (legal metrology) in the Department of Consumer Affairs.
