Shania Shayal Prasad 
Minister for Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh stresses the need for the sugar industry to transition from traditional farming practices to larger, modern, and more efficient farming models.
Singh highlights that current small-scale farming units are no longer economically sustainable.
He adds the practice of small farm units, with farmers producing between 300 to 500 tonnes of sugarcane, is not viable.
“So we’ll have to move away from the small holdings into big holdings of 100 acres of farms per person or per cooperative. And that will then become the guarantee supplies of cane into the mills. So those things that we are looking at.”
And I know that the farmers are sensitive that they don’t want to let go of the land. Despite not performing or doing the best of our ability that we want them to do.
Singh also acknowledged that persuading farmers to embrace these changes will be challenging.
However, he adds they need to start discussions with stakeholders like the Growers Council and the Growers Fund to shift from traditional methods to more modern, mechanized farming.
