Cane Yield Decline Deepens Sugar Economy Crisis; ISMA Seeks Fast-Track Approval for New Variety

India’s largest sugarcane-producing state, Uttar Pradesh, is facing a severe cane availability crisis as disease outbreaks and adverse weather conditions hit crop yields, creating fresh challenges for sugar mills and deep financial stress for farmers.

With output declining, mills across the state are struggling to secure adequate cane supplies for crushing, while growers report significant income losses due to reduced productivity. Industry stakeholders say the only sustainable way out of the crisis is the rapid dissemination of improved and disease-resistant sugarcane varieties.

The private sugar mills’ body, Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), has stepped up efforts to accelerate the approval of a promising new variety. However, procedural formalities are slowing the process.

Search for an Alternative to Co-0238

The widely cultivated and once high-performing Co-0238 variety has become increasingly disease-prone, prompting farmers to seek alternatives. In response, research institutions under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have been working on replacement options.

The Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore has developed a new variety, Co-20016, which has shown encouraging results in multi-location trials. Scientists and industry representatives consider it a potential replacement for Co-0238, with improved performance compared to several existing varieties.

ISMA is now pushing for early approval of Co-20016 to ensure timely availability for farmers.

Call for Special VIC Meeting

According to industry sources, ISMA has written to ICAR Director General Dr. M. L. Jat, urging him to convene a special meeting of the Variety Identification Committee (VIC) at the earliest. The objective is to secure notification of Co-20016 before the start of the 2026–27 planting season, enabling commercial cultivation without delay.

Under the guidelines of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP), complete results from two plant crops and one ratoon crop are expected to be available by April 2026. However, under ICAR’s current system, the VIC meeting for sugarcane is usually held in October or November. This means formal approval for Co-20016 could be delayed until November 2026, pushing notification and commercial rollout back by nearly a year.

ISMA has therefore requested ICAR to hold a special VIC meeting in June or July 2026, specifically to consider Co-20016. Industry representatives argue that this could save almost a year in varietal release and help improve productivity at a time when the sector is under strain.

Sources added that the issue of faster identification and release of improved varieties was also discussed in a meeting between ISMA and the Joint Secretary (Sugar) on February 9.

Mills Begin Early Closure

The broader cane belt, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, has been grappling with ageing varieties, delays in varietal replacement, gaps in seed multiplication systems and rising disease incidence. These structural weaknesses have compounded the impact of weather stress.

Due to insufficient cane availability and competition from kolhu and khandsari units, 18 out of 120 sugar mills in the state had already stopped crushing operations by February.

As of February 28, total cane crushing in the state stood at 737 lakh tonnes, compared with 766 lakh tonnes during the same period last year. With cane supplies tightening further, most mills in Uttar Pradesh are likely to shut operations by the end of March, industry sources indicated.

The unfolding situation highlights the urgent need for faster varietal replacement, streamlined regulatory processes and a stronger seed multiplication framework to safeguard both farmer incomes and mill operations in the country’s largest sugar-producing region.