Chandigarh, Sep 13 (IANS) With sugarcane acreage rising to 1.16 lakh hectares and production target set at 700 lakh quintals this season, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said that a multi-pronged strategy will make sugarcane the most remunerative crop through aggressive mechanisation, grassroots tech outreach and direct financial incentives for growers.
Describing sugarcane as the state’s third-most critical crop after wheat and paddy, Khudian said the government is leaving no stone unturned to boost productivity, improve sugar recovery and cut cultivation costs by promoting large-scale adoption of advanced farming techniques.
Citing official data, the minister said the area under sugarcane in Punjab has increased from 111,818 hectares in 2025-26 to 1,16,131 hectares in the 2026-27 season, which is expected to yield nearly 700 lakh quintals of cane if weather remains favourable. Of the total acreage, 47,295 hectares are under ratoon crop, 51,174 hectares under spring crop and 17,662 hectares under autumn crop.
“However, with the proactive interventions in place and a favourable weather outlook, we expect marked improvement in both yield and sugar recovery in the upcoming season,” said Khudian in a statement.
For 2026-27, the government has rolled out an incentive of Rs 3,200 per acre for farmers setting up demonstration plots showcasing recommended cultivation techniques.
The scheme will be implemented in 12 districts — Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Mohali, Patiala, Fazilka, Faridkot and Kapurthala. These demo plots will promote advanced practices such as wide-row spacing, trench planting, intercropping, mulching and scientific ratoon management to boost yields while cutting input costs.
To address the shortage of farm labour during sowing and harvesting, the government is promoting mechanisation by offering 40 per cent subsidy on key equipment, including sugarcane harvesters, small tractors, cane planters and ratoon managers.
“Mechanisation is no longer an option but a necessity. Our aim is to make these machines easily accessible and affordable for every farmer,” Khudian said.
The minister said joint teams of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the Agriculture Department and sugar mills are holding awareness camps across the state, focusing on wide spacing trench planting method, primary seed nurseries, disease-free certified seed varieties, balanced fertiliser use, integrated pest management and ratoon management.
–IANS
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