The Centre has constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Prof Ramesh Chand, former Member of NITI Aayog, to examine issues raised by sugarcane farmers and recommend concrete measures to address their grievances. The move follows a meeting between representatives of sugarcane farmers from Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Union Ministers of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Panel Composition and Mandate

The committee includes the Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; the Joint Secretary, Sugar, Department of Food and Public Distribution; and the Joint Secretary, Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs as members. Its primary mandate is to examine the demand for higher remunerative returns to sugarcane farmers, factoring in cultivation costs and other relevant considerations.

The panel will also review the demand for a revision of the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar, taking into account sugar production costs, market realisations, and the financial viability of sugar mills across the country.

Key Areas Under Scrutiny

Among the critical areas the committee will investigate are existing mechanisms for testing and reporting sugar recovery rates, the adequacy of calibration and verification frameworks, and prevailing sugarcane weighment practices at sugar mills. Notably, the panel will also examine deductions applied to the weight of mechanically harvested sugarcane — a longstanding grievance — and assess whether actual losses justify current deduction norms.

The committee will evaluate the financial impact of existing practices on the cane price payable to farmers, and is empowered to take up any other related matters it deems necessary.

Stakeholder Consultations Planned

The committee is expected to consult a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers' representatives, sugar mill associations, state governments, and domain experts. It will submit a report containing its findings and specific recommendations to the competent authority as early as possible.

Who Is Prof Ramesh Chand

Prof Ramesh Chand is a distinguished agricultural economist and public policy expert who served as a NITI Aayog Member from 2015 to 2026. He previously served as Director of ICAR-NIAP and as a Member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. His expertise spans agricultural development, food security, and agricultural markets and pricing policy — credentials that lend significant credibility to the panel's work.

This comes amid sustained farmer pressure from two of India's largest sugarcane-producing states, and signals the Centre's intent to move beyond ad hoc interventions toward a structured review of the sector's pricing and recovery architecture.