The State Level Sugarcane Farmers' Seminar on the subject of increasing sugarcane seed production in Bihar was organized on 20.02.2025 at Vidyapati Auditorium, Sugarcane Research Institute, Pusa (Samastipur). The program was inaugurated by Shri Krishnanandan Paswan, Hon'ble Minister, Sugarcane Industry Department. The program was presided over by Shri Anil Kumar Jha, Sugarcane Commissioner, Bihar. All the officers of the Sugarcane Industry Department were present on this occasion. The seminar was attended by sugarcane farmers and jaggery entrepreneurs of Hasanpur Sugar Mill, Hasanpur, Samastipur, Sugauli, Assistant Director, Sugarcane Development, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Patna working in the state. Senior scientists of Sugarcane Research Institute, Pusa and experts from sugar mills participated in the seminar.

The Hon'ble Minister mentioned the farmer related schemes being run under the Agriculture Road Map and said that the economic upliftment of farmers is the top priority of the Central and State Government. He said that the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India and the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar have given top priority to agriculture and farmers. For this, he deserves thanks. The efforts of sugarcane farmers were appreciated by the Honorable Minister. Farmers were asked to take maximum benefit of sugarcane mechanization scheme and cultivate sugarcane on a large scale under the Gur Udyog Protsahan Yojana. All farmers were requested to encourage the farmers around them to cultivate sugarcane. Also, sugar mills need additional sugarcane to increase the crushing days in sugar mills.

Sugar Commissioner Shri Anil Kumar Jha emphasized that it is necessary to expand the area of ​​sugarcane in the state and increase the yield per hectare. For this, all farmers should sow as much spring sugarcane as possible so that in the upcoming crushing season, along with the availability of adequate quantity of sugarcane to the sugar mills of the state, prosperity also comes in your life. He told that in the interest of the sugarcane farmers of the state, sugarcane mechanization scheme is being implemented for the first time to reduce their cost. Sugarcane farmers should also take maximum benefit of this scheme so that their cost of sugarcane cultivation can be reduced and they can get rid of the labor problem. Along with this, they were also asked to avail the benefits of Gur Udyog Protsahan Yojana so that sugarcane crop can be expanded in the entire state.

For all the schemes being run by the Sugarcane Industry Department, applications of farmers are being received with complete transparency through the online portal Cane Care Portal. This will provide all kinds of facilities to the farmers on a single window. Many new initiatives are being started by the department under the Agriculture Road Map. In this sequence, Gur Protsahan Yojana was mentioned. He told that the farmers of the non-sugar mill area will have ease in selling their produced sugarcane and they will get an opportunity for self-employment.

Joint Director (Sugarcane Development), Shri Mahendra Pratap Singh informed the farmers present about the Sugarcane Mechanization Scheme. The grants available on various components of the Chief Minister Sugarcane Development Scheme and its process were discussed in detail. Farmers were made aware of various aspects of the implementation of the Sugarcane Development Scheme through the online portal launched. Along with this, information was also given about the Gur Udyog Protsahan program.

In the program, the Honorable Sugarcane Minister distributed acceptance letters to the sugarcane farmers and jaggery entrepreneurs selected under the Sugarcane Mechanization Scheme and Bihar State Jaggery Industry Promotion Program implemented by the department.

Scientists of Sugarcane Research Institute, Pusa (Samastipur), Dr. Navneet Kumar, Dr. Anil Kumar and Dr. S.N. Singh, trained sugarcane farmers and jaggery entrepreneurs for crop diversification in sugarcane production, disease management in sugarcane crop and pest management in sugarcane crop.

In the end, Shri Arvind Kumar, Deputy Director, Sugarcane Development, Pusa (Samastipur) thanked all the guests.