Sugarcane dues top Rs 21,000 cr in 2020-21 season with UP leading the way

A long-overdue increase in MSP could help clearing some of the dues, trade sources say; but inflation could be a concern

Sugarcane dues accruing to farmers rose to almost Rs 21,321 crore as of May 2021.

Of that Rs 18,820 crore is for the cane supplied in the current season, which will end in September, while the remaining Rs 2,501 crore is from previous years.

Of the pending sugarcane dues of 2020-21, almost 63 per cent accrues to the poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh.

The remaining are from Maharashtra and others.

The sugarcane dues in Uttar Pradesh, unless cleared swiftly, could have consequences for the ruling BJP because sugarcane and the sugar-related economy, acc­ord­ing to some estimates, have a bearing on the results of 86-90