Govt’s decision to provide soft loans to help in clearing arrears of cane growers

05 Mar 2019 Evaluate

Terming the government’s recent decision as ‘good move’ to help the farmers get cane price payments, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) Director General Abinash Verma has said that the government’s decision to provide up to Rs 10,540 crore as soft loans to sugar mills will help them in clearing arrears of cane growers by about Rs 9,000 crore. He added that the interest subsidy of 7-10 % will reduce expenditure of 800-900 crore on account of interest burden of mills. Besides, sugar cane arrears to farmers have crossed Rs 20,000 crore in the current marketing year 2018-19 (October-September).

The government had announced a soft loan of up to Rs 10,540 crore to the sugar industry to help mills clear mounting arrears to cane growers, a move that would cost exchequer up to Rs 1,054 crore as interest subsidy. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the proposal to provide soft loans to the extent of about Rs 7,900-10,540 crore to the sugar industry. The Centre will bear the interest subvention cost at the rate of 7-10% to the extent of Rs 553 crore to Rs 1,054 crore for one year.

In order to incentivise the mills to clear their dues, CCEA also decided that the approved soft loans will be provided to those units which have already cleared at least 25% of their outstanding dues in the sugar season 2018-19. The decision to provide soft loans comes a fortnight after the Centre raised benchmark selling price of sugar at factory gate by Rs 2 to Rs 31 per kg.

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