Adopt new technologies, cut cane cultivation cost: Minister to Haryana farmers
Says online token system introduced in cooperative sugar mills
The state Cooperation Minister, Dr Arvind Kumar Sharma, today said that farmers should adopt new technologies while cultivating sugarcane, as it would help reduce the cost of cultivation and increase their income.
He said an online token system had been introduced in cooperative sugar mills, enabling farmers to book tokens from home. This has ensured a continuous supply of sugarcane to mills as per requirement and has saved farmers 10 to 12 hours per trolley while supplying produce.
Sharma was replying to a calling attention motion tabled by BJP MLA Ghansham Das during the ongoing session of the Vidhan Sabha.
He further shared that in 2020–21, the area under sugarcane was 2,46,357 acres, which increased to 2,63,499 acres in 2021–22 and further to 2,66,142 acres in 2022–23. However, after 2022–23, the area under sugarcane had been continuously declining.
Sharma said the average yield had shown a decline from 2020–21 to 2024–25, except for 2022–23. During 2025–26, it was estimated to be 329.59 quintals per acre, which was 5.2% (18.09 quintals) lower than the average yield of 347.68 quintals per acre in 2020–21, indicating a significant decline in productivity, he shared.
“The total production of sugarcane during 2025–26 is estimated to be 536.24 lakh quintals, which is 37.55% (322.54 lakh quintals) lower than the total production of 858.78 lakh quintals in 2020–21,” he said, adding that reduction in the area under cultivation had resulted in a decline in the availability of sugarcane for crushing. For the current year, it is estimated at 509.47 lakh quintals. The working days of mills are expected to be limited to 108 days, he said.
Stating that sugarcane was a highly labour-intensive crop, the declining availability of labour and increasing wages had turned farmers away. “The limited availability of agricultural machinery for harvesting is also a major reason for the reduction in area under cultivation,” he stated.
In the 2026-27 Budget, the government had proposed that farmers adopting the tissue culture method for cultivation would be provided cane seeding free of cost, and in the current Budget, the government had proposed that cooperative mills would provide harvesters, reducing the cost of cultivation, he added.
