•AGRICULTURE MINISTER GURMEET SINGH KHUDIAN RECEIVES AWARDS FROM UNION
MINISTER NITIN GADKARI
•MANN GOVT’S MODERN TECH PUSH TO BOOST SUGARCANE PRODUCTIVITY GETS
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: GURMEET SINGH KHUDIAN
New Delhi, September 22: Bringing national laurels to the state, Punjab’s five cooperative
sugar mills have won national awards for financial management, cane
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, Sh. Nitin Gadkari.
During the conclave, under the Financial Management (Other Recovery
Area) category, The Batala Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. secured 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.
Similarly, The Nakodar Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. secured the second
position, while The Bhogpur Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd. bagged the
third position in the Technical Efficiency (Other Recovery Area)
category.
Speaking on the occasion, S. Khudian said that under the leadership of
Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the state government is laying
special emphasis on adopting modern techniques to increase sugarcane
productivity, improve sugar recovery and reduce cost of cultivation.
He said that winning national awards by five sugar mills of the state
is a matter of great pride for Punjab.
S. Khudian stated that sugarcane growers in Punjab are being paid the
highest price in the country at Rs. 416 per quintal, which includes a
state government subsidy of Rs. 68.50 per quintal.
He informed that according to a survey conducted by sugar mills, the
area under sugarcane cultivation in Punjab during 2025–26 was 1,11,818
hectares, which has increased to 1,16,131 hectares in 2026–27. If
weather conditions remain favourable, a yield of approximately 700
lakh quintals of sugarcane is expected from this area.He further
mentioned that joint teams from Punjab Agriculture University PAU,
sugarcane experts, the Agriculture Department, and sugar mills are
periodically organizing farmer awareness camps. Through these,
information is provided regarding wide-row planting methods, primary
seed nursery planting, the use of improved and disease-free seeds,
balanced fertilizer application, pest and disease management, and farm
mechanization.
To encourage modern sugarcane cultivation and farm mechanization
during 2026–27, a special incentive scheme has been implemented, under
which financial assistance of Rs.3,200 per acre is being provided to
farmers to set up one-hectare demonstration plots based on recommended
sugarcane cultivation techniques in selected districts. This scheme
covers the districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar,
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Sahibzada Ajit
Singh Nagar, Patiala, Fazilka, Faridkot, and Kapurthala.
Social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube are being utilized to
provide farmers with timely field updates and the latest technical
information regarding sugarcane. Technical information has already
been imparted to approximately 15,000 farmers through 320 training
camps conducted by PAU sugarcane experts, the Agriculture Department,
and field staff of sugar mills.
He added that to promote mechanization in sugarcane farming, the
Punjab Government is providing equipment such as sugarcane harvesters,
small tractors, sugarcane planters, and ratoon managers to cane
growers at a 40% subsidy to mitigate the issue of labor shortages.
Secretary, Punjab Cooperation department Mr. Ajit Bala Joshi and
Managing Director Sugarfed Dr. Senu Duggal were also present at the
award ceremony for 2024-25 and 2025-26 held during the Conclave
organised by the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories
Limited (NFCSF) at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
Prominent Journalist Amritpal Singh
Significant Contributions to Journalism & Media
As a senior journalist and Director of Chardikala Time TV, he has played a vital role in strengthening Punjabi media at a global level.