The Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Department of Uttar Pradesh will provide drones to all cooperative sugarcane societies, enabling farmers to spray pesticides and urea efficiently.
This initiative was announced by the Sugarcane Development and Sugar Industry Minister, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, during a standing committee meeting. He also directed sugar mills to expedite sugarcane price payments to farmers facing crop disease or marriage situations.
The meeting, held at the Vidhan Bhavan, addressed several key issues, including the provision of streetlights and hand pumps through sugar mills to committee members. The Minister emphasised the need to curb the use of counterfeit pesticides and ensure the availability of genuine pesticides within the societies.
Chaudhary instructed sugar mills to prioritise the purchase of sugarcane from farmers within their designated areas. Furthermore, discussions included road construction projects undertaken by the Public Works Department for the sugarcane department and the establishment of compressed biogas plants.
It was reported that a penalty of Rs 74 lakh has been levied on sugar mills for weighing practices. To streamline sugarcane slip issuance, a smart sugarcane farmer portal is currently operational. The meeting also sought suggestions from members on the department's role in achieving the state's one trillion dollar economy target.