The North News
Chandigarh, September 11
Punjab has disbursed more than ₹679 crore in sugarcane payments for the 2024–25 crushing season, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Thursday. The release, covering 87% of the total dues, benefits nearly 18,800 farmers across the state. Punjab offers the country’s highest sugarcane purchase rate at ₹401 per quintal, according to the Finance Minister.
Nine cooperative sugar mills in the state crushed nearly 195 lakh quintals of cane this season, with total farmer dues amounting to around ₹780 crore. The remaining ₹100 crore will be cleared once central assistance is received.
Cheema said payments have already been released for supplies made to mills in Ajnala, Batala, Bhogpur, Budhewal, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Morinda, Nawanshahr and Nakodar. “The Punjab government is committed to ensuring timely payments to farmers,” he said, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party administration aimed to strengthen liquidity for cane growers and protect their financial stability
