The government on Wednesday increased by Rs 10 per quintal (100 kg) the sugarcane FRP, the minimum price the mills have to pay to cane growers, to Rs 315 per quintal for the 2023-24 October to September marketing season.

The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane has been fixed at Rs 315 per quintal for the 2023-24 season, up 3.28 per cent from the current 2022-23 marketing year (October-September).

The decision on FRP is crucial in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for 2024, as it impacts the livelihood of about five crore cane farmers and their dependants and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in the mills and various ancillary activities, including farm labour and transportation.

The cane is primarily grown in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka among others, which have a significant number of parliamentary seats.

Generally, the state governments announce the state-advised price (SAP), which is over and above the FRP, which would further benefit the farmers, who form the crucial rural vote bank.

This is yet another attempt by the Modi government to win over the farmers who are aggrieved over the three farm laws and had undertaken year-long agitation on the borders of Delhi but have not yet got any satisfactory resolution to their objections.

“The cabinet has increased the FRP of sugarcane to Rs 315 per quintal for 2023-24. Last year, FRP of sugarcane was Rs 305 per quintal,” information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The FRP of sugarcane, which stood at Rs 210 per quintal in the 2014-15 season, has now been increased to Rs 315 per quintal for 2023-24 season, Thakur added.