Committee Constituted for Sugarcane Farmers and Sugar Sector
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution · Agriculture · Posted 14 OCT 2026 6:13PM
What happened
The Government of India has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand to examine issues raised by sugarcane farmers regarding remunerative returns, sugar MSP, recovery testing, and weighment practices. The panel includes officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Food and Public Distribution, and Department of Consumer Affairs.
Why it matters for UPSC
This committee addresses critical pricing, recovery, and harvesting issues in the sugar sector, directly illustrating themes related to agricultural pricing policy, farmers' welfare, and crop economics for the UPSC syllabus.
Key objectives
- Examine the demand for increased remunerative returns and revision of the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar.
- Evaluate mechanisms for testing, reporting, and transparent verification of sugar recovery, along with weighment practices at sugar mills.
- Assess practices relating to weight deductions for mechanically harvested sugarcane and their financial impact on cane prices.
- Consult stakeholders including farmers’ representatives, sugar mill associations, and State Governments.