The Government of India has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, former Member of NITI Aayog, to examine issues raised by sugarcane farmers and recommend appropriate measures for addressing their concerns. The committee's formation follows decisions taken during a meeting of representatives of sugarcane farmers from Karnataka and Maharashtra with the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
The committee will examine multiple critical aspects of the sugar sector. It will assess the demand for increasing remunerative returns to sugarcane farmers, taking into account cultivation costs and other relevant factors. Additionally, it will examine the demand for revision of the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar in the context of sugar production costs, market realisations, and the financial viability of sugar mills.
Other key areas of examination include existing mechanisms for testing and reporting sugar recovery, measures to ensure transparent verification of recovery, and prevailing sugarcane weighment practices at sugar mills, including the adequacy of calibration, inspection and verification mechanisms. The committee will also examine practices relating to deductions from the weight of mechanically harvested sugarcane and assess the extent of actual losses arising from mechanised harvesting, evaluating the financial impact of these practices on the cane price payable to farmers.
The committee comprises Prof. Ramesh Chand as Chairman, with the Agriculture Commissioner (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Joint Secretary (Sugar) from the Department of Food and Public Distribution, and Joint Secretary (Legal Metrology) from the Department of Consumer Affairs as members. The committee will consult all stakeholders, including farmers' representatives, sugar mill associations, State Governments, and other experts or organizations as necessary, and submit its report with findings and specific recommendations for consideration by the competent authority.