Centre sets up Ramesh Chand-led panel to examine sugarcane farmers’ demands in Karnataka, Maharashtra

The Centre on Wednesday set up a committee led by former Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand to examine sugarcane farmers' demands, including higher remunerative prices and an increase in the minimum selling price (MSP) of sugar. The panel will focus on concerns raised by farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra, two major sugarcane-producing states.

The move follows a meeting on October 12 between Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi and a delegation of farmers from the two states at the Pusa campus. Around 80-90 farmers from different organisations attended the meeting, along with state ministers, according to a Food Ministry statement.

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Farmers have sought higher returns for sugarcane, citing rising cultivation costs. They have also demanded an increase in the minimum selling price of sugar from Rs 31 per kg to Rs 50 per kg.

The committee will examine the demand for higher remunerative returns based on cultivation costs and other relevant factors. It will also review the demand to revise the ex-mill MSP of sugar, considering production costs, market realisations and the financial viability of sugar mills.

The panel will review existing systems for testing and reporting sugar recovery and recommend measures to ensure transparent verification. It will also assess sugarcane weighment practices at mills, including calibration, inspection and verification systems.

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The committee will examine deductions from the weight of mechanically harvested sugarcane and assess any actual losses caused by mechanised harvesting. It will also evaluate how these practices affect the prices paid to farmers and consider other related issues, if necessary.

The panel will consult farmers' representatives, sugar mill associations, state governments and other experts and organisations. It will submit its findings and specific recommendations "as early as possible" for consideration by the competent authority.

Who is on the committee?

Chand, an agricultural economist and public policy expert, served as a Niti Aayog member from 2015 to 2026. He has also served as director of ICAR-NIAP and as a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. His areas of expertise include agricultural development, farmers' issues, food security, agricultural markets and pricing policy.

The other committee members are 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.