Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh

Punjab’s sugarcane cultivation area has increased to 1,16,131 hectares, up from 1,11,818 hectares in 2025-26, with the state government setting a target of producing 700 lakh quintals of sugarcane during the current season.

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said the government is encouraging farmers to adopt modern cultivation techniques to improve productivity, reduce input costs and increase the profitability of sugarcane farming.

Of the total area under sugarcane cultivation, 17,662 hectares are under autumn planting, 51,174 hectares under spring planting and 47,295 hectares under ratoon crop.

To promote modern farming practices, the government is providing an incentive of ₹3,200 per acre for demonstration plots in 12 districts. These include Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Fazilka, Faridkot and Kapurthala.

Farmers are being encouraged to adopt techniques such as wide-row planting, trench planting, intercropping, mulching and scientific ratoon management. The objective is to improve crop productivity while making cultivation more cost-effective.

The state government is also providing a 40 per cent subsidy on sugarcane harvesters, small tractors, planters and ratoon management machines to promote mechanisation in sugarcane farming.

Training programmes are being organised jointly by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the Agriculture Department and sugar mills. So far, around 14 webinars have been conducted for nearly 1,100 farmers, while 320 training camps have benefited more than 15,000 farmers.

Khuddian said mechanisation and modern agricultural practices have become a necessity for improving the economic condition of farmers. He said the government is focusing on reducing cultivation costs, improving productivity and enhancing sugar recovery so that sugarcane farming becomes more profitable.

The minister said the state government will continue supporting farmers through technology, training, financial incentives and machinery subsidies to strengthen sugarcane cultivation and improve returns for the farming community.