Chandigarh/New Delhi, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab’s five cooperative sugar mills have won national awards for financial management, sugarcane development and technical efficiency at the National Cooperative Sugar Industry Conclave-2026 in New Delhi.
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian received the awards from Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
In the Financial Management (Other Recovery Area) category, The Batala Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. secured the second position.
In the Best Cane Development (Other Recovery Area) category, The Fazilka Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. and The Budhewal Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. both secured second position.
The Nakodar Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. secured second position in the Technical Efficiency (Other Recovery Area) category, while The Bhogpur Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. bagged third position.
Speaking at the conclave, Khudian said the recognition reflected the state government’s focus on adopting modern techniques to increase sugarcane productivity, improve sugar recovery and reduce cultivation costs.
He said sugarcane growers in Punjab are being paid Rs 416 per quintal, which includes a state government subsidy of Rs 68.50 per quintal.
According to a survey conducted by sugar mills, the area under sugarcane cultivation in Punjab increased from 1,11,818 hectares in 2025-26 to 1,16,131 hectares in 2026-27. Khudian said that if weather conditions remain favourable, around 700 lakh quintals of sugarcane is expected to be produced from the area under cultivation.
He said joint teams comprising experts from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the Agriculture Department and sugar mills are regularly organising farmer awareness camps. Farmers are being provided guidance on wide-row planting, primary seed nurseries, improved and disease-free seeds, balanced fertiliser application, pest and disease management and farm mechanisation.
To encourage modern sugarcane cultivation and mechanisation during 2026-27, the state has introduced a special incentive scheme under which farmers are being provided financial assistance of Rs 3,200 per acre for setting up one-hectare demonstration plots based on recommended cultivation practices.
The scheme covers Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Patiala, Fazilka, Faridkot and Kapurthala districts.
Khudian said social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube were also being used to provide farmers with timely field updates and technical information related to sugarcane cultivation.
He added that around 15,000 farmers had already received technical guidance through 320 training camps organised by PAU sugarcane experts, the Agriculture Department and field staff of sugar mills.
To promote mechanisation and address labour shortages, the Punjab government is providing sugarcane harvesters, small tractors, sugarcane planters and ratoon managers to cane growers at a 40 per cent subsidy.
Secretary, Punjab Cooperation Department, Ajit Bala Joshi, and Managing Director, Sugarfed, Dr Senu Duggal, were also present at the award ceremony for 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The conclave was organised by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Limited (NFCSF) at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.
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