Parliament Question: Increase in Sugarcane Production in Maharashtra

The 3rd Advance Estimates show Maharashtra’s sugarcane production rising from 1,099.70 lakh tonnes in 2024‑25 to 1,316.49 lakh tonnes in 2025‑26, with cultivated area increasing from 11.67 to 13.72 lakh hectares and yield improving marginally from 94,230 kg/ha to 95,963 kg/ha. Integrated Pest Management centres in Nagpur and Nashik monitored red‑rot disease, finding infestations above the Economic Threshold Level on only 34 ha of 4,295 ha (2024‑25) and 5 ha of 1,450 ha (2025‑26). About 99.6 % of Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) payments were disbursed to growers, and the central FRP was raised to Rs 365 per quintal for 2026‑27. Maharashtra has 210 operational sugar mills, an average sugar recovery of 11.26 %, and a Rs 415.02 lakh allocation for the NFNSM‑Sugarcane programme in 2026‑27. The state also benefits from 36 sugarcane‑specific drought‑tolerant varieties released by ICAR.