Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 18: A four-member panel led by Ramesh Chand will examine farmers’ demand for better returns. It will also review sugar’s minimum selling price, recovery checks and weighing practices at mills.
The Centre has formed a four-member committee to study problems raised by sugarcane farmers. The panel was constituted on October 13, 2026. It will recommend measures to address the growers’ concerns.
The move follows representations from sugarcane farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra. Their representatives met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. They also met Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. The farmers sought higher remunerative returns for their cane.
Ramesh Chand, a former member of NITI Aayog, chairs the committee. According to the Union Food Ministry, it will examine the farmers’ demand. Cultivation costs and other relevant factors will form part of that assessment. The panel’s findings will be recommendations, not final government decisions.
Mills pay growers at least the Fair and Remunerative Price fixed by the Centre. Some states set higher State Advised Prices of their own.
The panel will also weigh a demand to revise sugar’s ex-mill Minimum Selling Price. This is the floor price at which mills sell sugar. It is distinct from the cane price paid to farmers. No revision of either has been announced.
The review will consider sugar production costs and market realisations. The financial viability of sugar mills is part of that exercise. Cane purchases form a major part of mills’ operating costs. Their sugar revenues, in turn, shape their capacity to pay growers on time. However, higher sugar prices would not automatically mean higher payments to farmers.
Sugar recovery, the share of sugar extracted from crushed cane, is another focus. The FRP is linked to a benchmark recovery rate. Accurate measurement therefore affects what farmers are paid. The panel will review how recovery is tested, reported and transparently verified.
Weighment practices at mills will come under scrutiny too. The committee will check whether calibration, inspection and verification systems are adequate. Since growers are paid by weight, even small errors could affect earnings. The release did not allege any specific weighing irregularities.
Deductions from the weight of mechanically harvested cane form a separate issue. Such deductions are typically linked to losses or extraneous material from machine harvesting. The panel will assess the extent of actual losses, if any. A wider evaluation will measure how present practices affect the cane price payable to farmers.
The committee draws members from several government departments. They include the Agriculture Commissioner in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The Joint Secretary (Sugar) from the Department of Food and Public Distribution is another. The Joint Secretary (Legal Metrology), Department of Consumer Affairs, completes the panel. Legal Metrology covers weights and measures, a key weighment concern.
The panel will consult farmers’ representatives, sugar mill associations and state governments. Experts and other organisations may be consulted where necessary. Farmers and mills are likely to present differing priorities.
The report is due as early as possible, though no deadline was given. The competent authority will then decide on its recommendations. Its findings could shape how cane is priced, weighed and paid for.
