Due to higher sugar production against the estimated consumption during the current sugar season 2017-18, the domestic sugar prices have remained depressed since the commencement of the season. As a result, accumulated dues of farmers have reached to over Rs 20,000 crore.
In order to help sugar mills to clear cane dues of farmers, the Government has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs 5.50 per quintal of cane crushed in sugar season 2017-18 to sugar mills to offset the cost of cane. In order to stabilise sugar prices at reasonable level and to improve liquidity position of mills thereby enabling them to clear cane price dues of farmers, the Centre has issued orders for extending assistance to clear the dues of sugarcane farmers. To provide relief to sugar cane growers, the Centre has already increased customs duty on import of sugar from 50% to 100%. It has also imposed reverse stock holding limits on producers of sugar for the months of February and March, 2018 to stabilise sugar price.
The Government has also fully withdrawn the customs duty on export of sugar to encourage sugar industry to start exploring possibility of export of sugar.
In view of the inventory levels with the sugar industry and to facilitate achievement of financial liquidity, mill-wise Minimum Indicative Export Quotas (MIEQ) totalling 20 lakh MT have been fixed for sugar season 2017-18.
Further, to facilitate and incentivise export of surplus sugar by sugar mills, Government has allowed Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme in respect of sugar.
In April, 2015, the cane price arrears of farmers reached to an alarming level of about Rs 22,000 crores. The Central Government then notified, in December, 2015, a production subsidy scheme to offset the cost of cane to clear the dues of sugarcane farmers; a subsidy was provided @ Rs 4.50/- per quintal of cane crushed. As a result of this measure, the sugar prices stabilized and arrears were reduced substantially.
The said assistance shall be paid directly to the farmers on behalf of the mills and be adjusted against the cane price payable due to the farmers against Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) including arrears relating to previous years.