📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ravityagijiffy
Agriculture
Uttar Pradesh sugar production falls sharply, new cane variety eyed as saviour
✍️ indianexpress.com
🗓 28 Sep 2026, 07:31 AM
👁 9
Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh has dropped sharply, prompting officials to promote a newly developed cane variety to revive the sector.
Uttar Pradesh, India's largest sugar‑producing state, has reported a steep decline in its annual sugar output, raising concerns among mill owners and the state government. The fall in production, attributed to erratic monsoons and aging plantations, threatens the profitability of dozens of sugar mills across the region.
In response, the state agriculture department has highlighted a newly released sugarcane variety developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The hybrid is claimed to be higher yielding, more drought‑tolerant and resistant to common pests, offering a potential boost to yields in the coming planting season.
Farmers' unions have welcomed the initiative but caution that widespread adoption will depend on seed availability, cost and timely extension support. The department has pledged to distribute the seeds through existing cooperatives and to conduct field demonstrations before the next sowing cycle.
If the new variety performs as projected, analysts expect a gradual recovery in Uttar Pradesh's sugar output, stabilising prices and safeguarding the livelihoods of millions dependent on the crop.
In response, the state agriculture department has highlighted a newly released sugarcane variety developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The hybrid is claimed to be higher yielding, more drought‑tolerant and resistant to common pests, offering a potential boost to yields in the coming planting season.
Farmers' unions have welcomed the initiative but caution that widespread adoption will depend on seed availability, cost and timely extension support. The department has pledged to distribute the seeds through existing cooperatives and to conduct field demonstrations before the next sowing cycle.
If the new variety performs as projected, analysts expect a gradual recovery in Uttar Pradesh's sugar output, stabilising prices and safeguarding the livelihoods of millions dependent on the crop.