The fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane for the 2026-27 sugar season, starting 1 October 2026, is ₹365 per quintal at a basic recovery of 10.25%, up 2.81% from ₹355 in 2025-26 (Cabinet decision of 5 May 2026). If you are planting sugarcane this month, the right window in north India is autumn planting, completed in October (September 20 to October 20 in Punjab); in the peninsula it is the pre-seasonal planting of October to November.
One caution on timing: the ₹365 price applies to cane that mills buy in 2026-27, meaning the spring-planted and ratoon cane standing now. Cane you plant this month is crushed in the 2027-28 season (autumn cane) or later, and the FRP for that season will be announced in 2027. In Uttar Pradesh, the state advised price (SAP) is set separately and the 2026-27 rate had not been announced as of 1 October 2026; the 2025-26 rates were ₹400 per quintal for early varieties and ₹390 for normal varieties.
FRP: what you actually get per quintal
FRP is tied to the mill's sugar recovery: ₹365 at 10.25%, with ₹3.56 per quintal added or deducted for every 0.1% above or below 10.25%. The government has also decided that farmers will not be docked below 9.5% recovery; they get a floor of ₹338.30 per quintal. Examples worked from the Cabinet formula:
| Mill recovery | Calculation | FRP per quintal |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5% or lower | floor applies (no further deduction) | ₹338.30 |
| 9.8% | 365 − (4.5 × 3.56) | ₹348.98 |
| 10.25% | base | ₹365.00 |
| 11.0% | 365 + (7.5 × 3.56) | ₹391.70 |
| 11.5% | 365 + (12.5 × 3.56) | ₹409.50 |
The government's cost of production (A2+FL, which is paid-out cost plus imputed family labour but excludes land rent and interest on your own capital) is ₹182 per quintal for 2026-27, so the FRP is 100.5% above that figure. Your own full cost will be higher if you pay rent or loan interest. Timely payment is the other half of the price: as of 20 April 2026, about 99.5% of 2024-25 cane dues had been paid but only about 88.6% of the 2025-26 dues, so ask your mill about its payment record before you commit cane.
Planting seasons
| Region | Autumn / pre-seasonal | Spring (suru) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North-west and north India (Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar) | September to October (PAU: 20 Sep to 20 Oct) | February to March (March is best in Punjab and Haryana) | ICAR-AICRP: complete autumn planting in October because delay lowers germination in cold weather. Autumn cane covers only 10 to 12% of north India's cane area |
| Maharashtra, Gujarat | Pre-seasonal, October to November (matures in 13 to 15 months) | December to February (suru); Adsali July to August (16 to 18 months) | Adsali is declining because of water shortage |
| Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh | October to November (pre-seasonal) | Planting December to February in most areas |
Autumn planting of the north gives a longer growing period and lets you grow a winter intercrop; spring planting after wheat or potato is the other main route. Late (April to May) planting in western UP after wheat cuts the tillering period and lowers yield (AICRP).
Choosing a variety: the Co 0238 problem
Co 0238 (Karan 4) spread like wildfire in the north-west zone: by 2017 the AICRP bulletin recorded it on 72,628 ha in UP, 91,795 ha in Bihar, 26,683 ha in Punjab and 19,517 ha in Haryana, and on more than 30% of UP's early-group area. Its yield has since declined and it has become prone to red rot. In December 2024, UP's Commissioner of Sugar and Cane told officers to prepare micro-plans to replace it, naming Co 15023, Co 0118, CoLk 14201, CoLk 16202, CoS 13235, CoS 17231 and CoS 18231, along with proper seed and soil treatment and Trichoderma for red rot and wilt. Do not plant any more cane of an old, degenerating variety, and do not put the whole farm under one variety.
| Region | Varieties to consider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UP, Bihar (early group) | Co 15023, Co 0118, CoLk 14201, CoLk 16202, CoS 13235, CoS 17231, CoS 18231 | The UP cane department's replacement list for Co 0238. Ask your mill or cane society for the varieties approved in its area |
| Punjab (autumn planting) | CoPb 95, CoPb 96, Co 15023, CoPb 92, Co 118, CoJ 85, CoJ 64 | PAU averages (plant crop): CoPb 95 about 425 q/acre, CoPb 96 about 382, CoPb 92 about 335, Co 15023 about 310. Plant early and mid-late varieties on the farm in a 3:2 ratio |
| Punjab (spring, mid-late) | CoPb 98, CoPb 94, CoPb 91, Co 238, CoJ 88 | About 335 to 410 q/acre; CoJ 88 suits saline water. Co 89003 is not recommended: susceptible to wilt and root borer |
| Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu | Check ICAR-SBI Coimbatore, VSI Pune or your state university and mill for current recommendations | The AICRP bulletin names Co 86032 as the dominant variety in the peninsular zone; confirm what your mill and state recommend now |
These are yield averages from PAU trials and state recommendations; they are not guaranteed. For comparison, Punjab's state average cane yield in 2024-25 was 820.5 q/ha (332 q/acre) with an average recovery of 8.98%.
Seed cane and sett treatment
- Use seed cane from a healthy crop free of red rot, wilt, smut, ratoon stunting and grassy shoot. Use only the top two-thirds of the cane for setts (PAU). Do not plant in a field where the last crop had red rot or wilt.
- To improve germination, PAU suggests soaking setts in water for 24 hours or in an ethephon solution overnight (25 ml of ethephon 39 SL in 100 litres of water).
- To disinfect against red rot and smut, PAU suggests dipping setts in azoxystrobin 18.2% + difenoconazole 11.4% at 1 ml per litre. The UP cane department also asks for seed and soil treatment with Trichoderma against red rot and wilt. Dip, then plant promptly. Follow the label and your mill's advice.
- AICRP also recommends dipping setts for 10 to 15 minutes in a bio-inoculant solution (10 kg of microbial culture in 200 to 250 litres of water per hectare) to help nitrogen fixation and phosphate availability.
Seed rate and spacing
| State | Three-bud setts per hectare | Per acre (approx.) | Row spacing (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh, timely planting | 35,000 | 14,200 | 90 |
| Uttar Pradesh, late planting | 56,000 | 22,700 | 60 |
| Bihar | 37,000 | 15,000 | 75 to 90 |
| Punjab | 50,000 (PAU: 20,000 three-bud setts per acre) | 20,000 | 60 to 75 |
| Haryana | 75,000 (two-bud setts) | 30,400 | 60 to 75 |
| Rajasthan | 40,000 to 45,000 | 16,200 to 18,200 | 75 to 90 |
| Maharashtra | 30,000 | 12,100 | 90 to 100 |
| Karnataka, Gujarat, MP | 25,000 to 30,000 | 10,100 to 12,100 | 90 |
| Tamil Nadu | 42,000 to 45,000 | 17,000 to 18,200 | 80 |
These are the AICRP bulletin's state figures. In north India, the seed rate is higher in the north-west because of lower germination and hot dry winds; in autumn planting, 90 cm row spacing is used so that intercrops can be grown. PAU's equivalent is 30 to 35 quintals of seed cane per acre; plan the weight of seed, because thick-cane varieties such as Co 118 and CoJ 85 need about 10% more by weight. Trench planting (20 to 25 cm deep trenches 75 cm apart) and especially paired-row trench planting (two rows 30 cm apart, 90 cm between trenches; 120:30 cm if you plan to use a harvester) save water, reduce lodging and make propping easier.
Intercrops in autumn cane
Because autumn cane is slow to cover the ground in winter, an intercrop pays the bills. The AICRP bulletin lists: mustard (2 rows between cane rows, seed 3 kg/ha, last week of September to 20 October), chickpea (2 rows, 50 kg/ha, second fortnight of October), lentil (2 rows, 20 kg/ha, second fortnight of October), wheat (3 rows, 75 kg/ha, last week of October) and garlic. PAU adds early potato, peas and onion in autumn cane. Match the intercrop to your market, apply the intercrop's own fertiliser, and see the sister guides on mustard, gram, potato and garlic.
Fertiliser, water and ratoons
- Nitrogen: the AICRP bulletin gives 150 to 180 kg N per hectare in north India (60 to 73 kg per acre) and 250 to 350 kg in the south, with 60 to 80 kg P₂O₅ and 60 kg K₂O per hectare in the north if there is no soil test. PAU's autumn dose for Punjab is 90 kg N (195 kg urea) per acre, in three equal splits at planting, end of March and end of April. Where the soil has low sulphur, 40 to 60 kg S per hectare helps the plant crop. Use a Soil Health Card report.
- Save nitrogen: Azotobacter or Azospirillum in two splits at 30 and 60 days saved about 25% of the nitrogen in trials; 4 t/ha of sulphitated press mud with 75% of the N matched full N. Do not over-apply nitrogen: it causes lodging and lowers sugar.
- Irrigation: sugarcane needs 1,500 to 2,500 mm of water over the season. In the subtropics it takes about 6 to 8 irrigations (UP about 8); in the tropics 20 to 36. April to June is the critical period; PAU irrigates at 7 to 12 day intervals then, and at monthly intervals in November to January. Drip, skip-furrow and trash mulching economise water; see drip irrigation.
- Ratoon: harvest autumn cane early in the crushing season for better ratoon sprouting, cut as close to the ground as possible, and give the first irrigation immediately. For winter-harvested stubbles AICRP suggests a spray of carbendazim (1 g/litre) with ethephon (50 ml/ha). Ratoon needs 25% more fertiliser than plant cane: full P and K and one-third of N at initiation, the rest at 45 and 90 days. Trash mulching and gap-filling matter; more than four ratoons is not economical.
What an acre earns: the arithmetic
Gross income is cane yield × price. Quintals per acre below are 250 (about 62 t/ha, close to the AICRP bulletin's UP average of 61.7 t/ha), 300 (about 74 t/ha) and 350 (about 86 t/ha); Punjab's 2024-25 average was 332 quintals per acre.
| Cane yield per acre | Gross at FRP ₹365 | Gross at UP SAP ₹390 (2025-26 normal) | Margin over government cost ₹182/q (at ₹365) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 q | ₹91,250 | ₹97,500 | ₹45,750 |
| 300 q | ₹1,09,500 | ₹1,17,000 | ₹54,900 |
| 350 q | ₹1,27,750 | ₹1,36,500 | ₹64,050 |
The last column is (365 − 182) × quintals, using the government's own A2+FL average cost; it leaves out land rent and interest on your own capital, so your true margin will be lower. Cane stays in the field for 12 months or more, so compare the return per month with a wheat-and-rice year, and count intercrop income and ratoon crops (which have no seed cost). The price for your crop will also depend on recovery, the date of cutting, any deductions for delivery and mill payment delays. Check sugarcane prices, the MSP list, Kisan Credit Card finance and the subsidy finder for drip and machinery support.
Sources
- PIB, Cabinet approves FRP of ₹365/qtl for sugarcane farmers for season 2026-27 (5 May 2026)
- ICAR-AICRP on Sugarcane, Technical Bulletin No. 1: Sugarcane in India, package of practices for different agro-climatic zones (2017)
- Punjab Agricultural University, Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Rabi 2025-26 (sugarcane chapter)
- ChiniMandi, Combat red rot disease: UP sugar mills urged to promote replacement of Co 0238 (21 Dec 2024)
- ChiniMandi, Uttar Pradesh farmer group seeks ₹600/quintal sugarcane price for 2026-27 (20 Aug 2026; current SAP)